Gone with the wind
by Greenpumpkin
Summary: Leaving seemed the best option for Shane and Andrea after the incident at the barn and Ottis and Dale dead. But as another person enters the group, things are about to change. Rated T for minor swearing, I might change it to M as the story continues.
1. Zombies? Let's get drunk!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Walking Dead franchise.**

**NB1: This is my first fanfiction ever so any advice or critisicm, good or bad, is welcomed as long as it is constructive. The story takes place at the middle of the second season when Glenn and Rick go get Hershel in the bar. I wanted to stay as true to the story as possible but incorporating my character AND Randall was too much of a challenge for me at that moment. So Charlie arrives after Shane killed Ottis and the incident at the barn.**

**NB2: I did my best to write in english but I'm not really good. I've checked the text a few times to make sure the amount or errors was low but if you see any mistake, please let me know and I will fix it. Thank you and enjoy!**

**Zombies? Let's get drunk!**

Charlie was sweating. She had another nightmare where she was being eaten alive and then turned into a zombie. These dreams felt so real. She had fell asleep in the room of an abandonned house she found earlier that day. She got off the floor, took her blanket and put in in her bag, she then took a bottle of water and splashed her face before taking a long sip. She needed more supplies. She ate her last can of food two days ago and she was starving. It was time to hit a store again. She looked around the room to make sure she did not forget anything.

-Where sould I go now? Maybe the small store I saw when I arrived here would be a good idea.

She took her bag and carefully came down the stairs. After making sure the house was empty she went out the house. The sun was coming up. As she was walking, she was thinking.

"I wonder if anybody is still alive out there. I've been alone for so long. I miss my house, I miss my dog, I even miss my job! Enough pointless thinking, I need to make a plan."

After about half an hour, she arrived at her destination. She took her knife out of her bag, checked if everything was alright. She had two choices. The bar or the convenience store. The bar would probably have few bottles of water and maybe some bourbon but what she needed right now was food. She entered the store. The first thing she did was to look for any escape route. She spotted a ladder going on top of the ceiling and a door leading to the backstore. Knowing she could escape from somewhere else then the front door she stepped further inside the store. Most of the shelves where empty. She looked underneath some of the display shelves but found nothing more then dust and empty bags of food.

-Fuck! Really!?

She immediately regretted swearing so loud. Something or someone could have heard her and it was not an okay thing. She stopped breathing and listened carefully. The store remained completely silent. She did not really wanted to go in the backstore because she did not know if there was light in there. She changed her plan, maybe the bar had something to eat inside like snacks or anything. Even a rotten lemon would do at that point! As she was walking toward the entrance, she heard a noise in the distance. A car was approaching.

-Damn, today is not my day.

She came back in the store and hide behind a counter to look outside. A pick-up truck stopped right in front of the bar. An old man came out. He was wearing beige pants with suspenders and a white shirt. No beard, clean hair. He went straight into the bar without looking around him.

"He must live in the area to be so careless. Anyone would have checked twice before going into a place like this."

She decided to remain hidden. She did not wanted the men to found out she was there. After all this time on the road she understood one thing, never go to someone without announcing yourself and never trust anyone out there. Someone once told her that in time like this, even your own friends and family would not hesitate to kill you to have something to eat. As she was thinking, she heard another sound. A car was approaching again. She looked again on top of the counter. Two men came out of a green Hyundai. One was asian, wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, the other one looked american. As she looked closer, she realized the man was a cop.

"Hold on girl, you never know. He could have killed a cop and steal his clothes and gun and gain people's trust like this. Who knows what this guy did. You better stay hidden."

They went inside the bar too. It seemed like every living person in this place needed a drink. She got up and started looking in the store again. There was nothing left so she needed to go in the backstore. She walked to the door and opened it slowly, listening closely. She took out her hunting knife from her back and went inside. The backstore had two small windows. There was not a lot of light but enough to see where she was going. She passed in front of a small desk covered with paper and ventured further. Half the shelves were empty.

"With all these people living nearby, it's understandable! They must have tooked everything they could!"

She spotted some items on the shelf in the back. She almost ran to see if there was anything she could eat. She spotted a couple of canned tomatoes at the bottom.

-Tomato paste for dinner. Awesome! My stomach will not be happy but hey, it's better then nothing!

She continued searching and found a can of kidney beans and some ramen noodles. After looking on every shelf and even inside the drawers of the desk, she decided it was time to go out and continue her journey to find another place for the night. She was basically in the middle of nowhere. As she was about to go outside, she heard people talking. She looked from a distance. It was two men. One short and skinny, the other one was obese. They were heading towards the bar. All of this was getting Charlie very upset. She did not know what to do. More people would probably come and she did not wanted to be spotted. Especially by a group of men. She decided to go out by the back door. She went back into the backstore, closing it really carefully. As she came out, she heard people yelling and then she heard gunshots.

"Awesome, this place will be crawling with zombies soon if these idiots keep on going like this"

She hid behind an abandonned car, trying to look inside the bar. She could not see anything, the windows were too dusty to look inside. She decided to stay like this and wait for people to come out eventually. She did not had to wait too long. Three men came outside. It was the old men, the cop and the asian guy. This one had blood on his shirt and his face. Laying under the car, she kept looking at them leaving.

"Maybe I should follow them. It's not the best idea ever but they might be other survivors out there. They would probably not kill me in front of a lot of people. And if things go really bad, I could always come back and find somewhere else to go to. Let's give it a try. Maybe tomorrow will be my lucky day."

She did not wanted to walk at night but she had no other choice. The sun was going down and she did not know where to go. Staying in the bar or the store could be dangerous. She then proceeded to walk in the directions she saw the cars going.

"Fantastic. I'll be walking in the middle of the forest, at night, in the middle of nowhere. Shitty day."

As she was walking, she was asking herself if all of this was a good idea. She did not need any human contact but she wanted it. She wanted to talk to someone. These men looked dangerous but who did not these days? Something in the look of the asian guy was telling her he was not a bad guy. He looked scared when he came out of the bar. Like he did not wanted these men to die. She was trying to ignore all the sounds surrounding her. Everything looked dangerous, even trees looked infected. She shook her head, trying to calm down her heart that was beating super fast.

"As long as I stay on the road, it should be alright. I can see in front of me and I can hear if something is moving in the forest. So calm the fuck down girl! Just focus on staying alive and it should be fine!"

She walked all night. Looking left and right for a path that would lead her to a house in the forest, not finding any. As she was loosing faith, she spotted a house a couple of miles away. She needed all the energy left in her not to run. She needed to remain silent and focused, maybe it was just an abandonned house. When she arrived close to the house, she spotted the Hyundai and the pick-up truck and a RV. She walked closer. Nothing was moving inside the house.

"Maybe they're all dead. Who knows."

As she was about to go closer to the house, she felt a presence, turning quickly she just had time to see a shadow before a hand was pressed on her mouth and another hand took both her wrists. She tried to escape but the person just pressed harder.

-You better tell me who the fuck you are and why you here 'cause I won't hesitate to kill you at all. I'll take my hand of yo' face and don't try to do anythin' funny or I'll hurt you real bad. Okay?!

Charlie nodded her head to tell the man she was ready to cooperate. She was blaming herself. How could she be so stupid? The joy of knowing other people where living took over her survival instinct. She thought for a split second they would be nice and here she was, trapped with a man who looked ready make her suffer just for stepping a foot near him.

-My name is Charlie. I saw three men yesterday at the bar near here. I thought it would be a good idea to follow them. I thought maybe you would let me sleep here for the night or help me find a place on my own. I thought... fuck I don't know. I'm sorry okay?! Let me go, I'll leave. I'll never come back here. I'll go to Atlanta or even in Canada if I have to. I won't tell anyone. Just, please, just let me go.

She had decided not to tell the men she saw his friends killing people. The less she showed she knew, the better it would be.

-Oh no, lady. You ain't goin' nowhere without us decidin' what to do with ya.

As she was about to respond, she heard the door open. She tried to turn back to see who was coming but she could not move. The men was holding her tight. As she was getting used to the darkness, she stared at the men. He was taller then her, with a beard and brown hair. He was wairing jeand and a biker's vest. He looked mean.

-Who's this, Daryl? asked a man.

-Her name's Charlie. She said she saw you, Glenn and Hershel at the bar. She decided to follow you. What should we do?!

-First, take her bag and look for any weapon. The let her come with me. I'll talk with her before we introduce her to the others. Then we'll decide.

As Daryl was taking her bag and her hunting knife, she was trying to figure out what to say. She could not find anything bright to say. Daryl turned her around and she could finally see the other man who was talking. It was the cop she saw earlier. She got scared. She knew this guy would not hesitate to kill her or do something worse. She decided to tell the truth and assumed her mistakes. Daryl pushed her in the back.

-My name is Rick. Just so you know, there is more people inside and they will not hesitate to kill you if you try to do anything. Come with me, we'll talk a bit. Daryl, go inside and don't tell anybody, if someone woke up, tell them you were talking to yourself or something okay?

She did not wanted to follow the men but she had no idea what to do or where to go. Besides all that, she wanted to stay alive so she just walked beside the man and answered his questions.

-Why did you follow us? asked Rick.

-I thought it would be a good idea. I've been on my own for so long. I thought maybe you would help me. I know you and your friends killed two people at the bar but something in the look of your asian friend convinced me to follow you. He looked so scared when he came out of the bar, like he did not wanted to do this. I told myself it would probably my only chance to talk to someone.

-Just so you know, Charlie, I did what I had to do. These people seemed like a threat to me and my friends. You understand, I will not hesitate to do the same thing with you if I consider you a threat. We can't trust people nowadays. And you should give me a really good reason for me to let us stay with us for a day. Maybe you're with a group and you were sent here to take a look so your people could kill us and take our things.

-Trust me, I'm alone. You're telling me you're not alone in there. These people can't all be friends and family to you. Everyone I knew is dead, I don't know why it would be different to you! You must have met these people on the road or something, it's just impossible for you to have all your loved ones with you! We're all trying to survive, we're all trying to be with other people. I don't know why you won't give me a chance. Just don't kill me. Like I told your friend, I'll leave far away from here, maybe go to Atlanta to see if someone is still alive there.

-I can't take the risk to let you leave like this. I need to be sure that nobody is with you. I'll talk with the others then we'll decide.

She realized the sun was going up in the sky. They arrived at the road and started going back to the house. As they were walking, she saw people coming out from the front door. At lot of people. Alongside Glenn, Daryl and Hershel, she could see several other people. There was women, there was even a kid with them. They all stopped to look at them. She felt scared.

-Daryl, come here. You'll stay with her. I'll go meet with the others and explain what is happening. If she tries to escape, shoot her.

Daryl nodded his head. He took her arm and walked her to the pick-up truck. He opened the tailgate.

-Sit there. It won't be long.

She kept looking at the group. They were all around the man called Rick, listening to was he was saying. She could not hear a thing but she could see they were asking themselves if she was a threat. She was swinging her legs, trying to look tough but deep inside, she just wanted to curl up and cry. After a couple of minutes, Rick came back to her.

-We decided to let you stay with us for three days. After that, if nobody come to get you, we'll let you go. But you will be under constant surveillance. You need to tell us everything you'll do and don't try to escape because we will find you. Is that clear?

-Yes. May I, sir, sleep now? I can fall asleep here if you want. I'm exhausted. I won't cause any trouble.

-You can. Daryl, make sure she stays here. If there's anything, come to me and I'll sent someone to take over you.

As Darryl nodded his head, she laid herself on the pick-up truck. She closed her eyes and immeditely fell asleep. She woke up feeling tired. As she woke up, she saw a woman and the kid looking at her.

-Calm down. We won't hurt you. When you're ready, just come with me, you'll help with the laundry. While you were sleeping, we decided you should make yourself useful if you stay here.

She got up and followed the lady. As she was walking, she looked around her. People were doing their things all around the house.

-This is Carl, my son. The blonde girl is Andrea and the other one is Carol. I am Lori. You'll hang the clothes on the rope right there.

She looked at Andrea who was looking straight in her eyes. Her face showed she did not trust he at all. She then looked at Carol. The woman looked sad. She was looking at her feet while Charlie was looking at her.

-Come on, move your ass, said Andrea.

She took the pants of her hands and proceeded to hand it on the rope as she was looking around. There was a man sitting on a rock with Carl. He was showing him a weapon. There was two other men in a distance along Rick. An old man and a black one.  
She kept hanging the clothes Lori was handing her. After a while, Lori took her to Rick.

-The laundry is all done, do you need her to do something else? asked Lori.

-Well, you could always go see if Hershel needs her inside.

Rick escorted her inside. She looked around her. The place was clean. As they were walking, Charlie asked if she could go to the bathroom.

-Okay. But don't stay in there for too long or I will come in, okay?

He showed her the bathroom. As she was walking, she spotted five people in the kitchen. The man named Hershel, a teenage boy and three women. She entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She looked et herself in the mirror, rubbed her eyes and looked again. The reflection in the mirror scared her. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. She combed her hair into a ponytail before looking at herself again. Her grey tank top was covered with dust and her black cargo pants has a couple of wholes in them. Her boots were covered with dirt but at least they were intact. After rubbing her face to clean the dirt, she went out. Rick was waiting for her. He walked toward the kitchen and introduced her to the others.

-Patricia, Maggie, Jimmie, Beth, this is Charlie, the girl we talked about. Do you need her to do anything inside or outside the house?

-Well, said Patricia. You could always help us setting the dinner table if you want.

Patricia was talking with a soft voice. She did not seem afraid of her. As she was going to ask for the plates, Rick came in front of her.

-I don't want her to touch any knifes or sharp objects. You can't just trust people like this Patricia!

Patricia looked back at Rick with tears in her eyes. Charlie now understood he was in charge in this place. Patricia handled her the plates and she placed them on the table. She was starving. She wanted to get her bag to get something to eat. She doubted they would just share their food with her. After the table was set, she turned to Rick.

-Can I have my bag, please? I have my food in there. I would just like to eat if it's okay?

-Okay. I'll ask Daryl to get your food. You will eat on the porch. Shane will be with you.

She walked to the front door, waiting for Daryl to bring her bag. As she sat down on the stairs, she turned around to spot a man sitting on a rocking chair. He was looking at her, passing his hand through his hair.

-I'm Shane. I'm the one who's in charge of checking if you don't do anything bad.

Daryl finally arrived with her bag. She opened it and got out some ramen noodles and a bottle of water. As she started eating, Lori came out and handled a plate to Shane. They were eating warm food. She could see some vegetables and meat on the plate. She started salivating. She then turned around and started eating her ramen. She started looking around her and spotted a barn.

-I could always sleep in there. You could lock me up or something.

-I doubt that. We'll find somewhere for you. You could always come and sleep with me if you want, said Shane, blinking an eye.

-I don't...

-It's just a joke, said Shane, interrupting her. You'll probably sleep in the pick-up truck or in a tent. We'll see. Now, eat, you'll need it.

"I wouldn't mind sleeping with him. He's kinda cute and besides that, it's been so long since my last human contact. But the pick-up truck will be perfect. As long as I don't sleep on the floor. But this barn makes me curious. Whatever, I need to lay low and do as they ask. It will be okay if I do so."

-Would you like to join us? We'll make a fire, asked Lori as she was getting outside.

Charlie nodded her head again. As she was walking, she was thinking that he would be nice if she could stay with them. The house looked safe, these people did not look so bad. Shane went to the fireplace and started to show Carl how to make a fire. People kept joining them.

-This is T-dog and the old men is Dale, said a voice behind her.

As she turned around, she realized it was the asian man, Glenn, talking to her. She looked at the men, trying to smile. They then all sat around the fire.

-So, what's your story, asked the man named Dale. Since you stay with us, we should get to know you a bit.

-My name's Charlie. I come from a small town near Atlanta. When all of this started, I was at home. I managed to escape with a couple of neighbours. Now I'm alone. That's all I have to say.

She stopped talking as she reminded herself how everything started. A couple of neighbours and herself managed to go into an abandoned house. The army was on the streets, telling people to stay inside. That everything would be all over soon. They stayed in, and when the tv and radio stopped working, they knew something was wrong. As they went outside, for the first time in a long time, they realized things went crazy. Their was bodies on the street, blood everywhere, the army had left. And then she saw them, people where looking at them in a distance when a man started yelling. She turned around to see Dave, her upstairs neighbour, being pushed on the floor by someone. That's when people started running towards them. She ran to a car, trying to find the key. When she founded them, she started driving without looking behind. After the car went out of gas, she carried on foot, grabbing anything she could find along the way. And now here she was, surrounded by people thinking she was a threat. But she was just like them. Lost and trying to survive. All she wanted was to stay alive. They could think was they wanted, she knew she was innofensive. She never killed a living person. Plenty of zombies but not human being still breathing. She once gave a beating to a man who tried to steal her bag but that was it. Nothing to be scared of. They then all remained silent as the fire was slowly dying.

-Good night, said Hershel, leaving the rest of the group behind.

Beth, Patricia, Jimmy and Maggie soon followed him as Lori and Carl where heading to a tent near the fireplace. Daryl left in direction of the cars. T-Dog and Randall went inside the RV and Shane left in direction of the barn. Rick pointed his chin in direction of the pick-up truck to let Charlie know it was her bed for the night and that he would be the one watching her.

"That's funny. He runs the place like it is his but his friends and himself are sleeping outside. Maybe he's just in charge of this group. Anyway, I'll better get some sleep. Something is telling me they will have more things for me tomorrow."

For the second time, she sat down in the back of the truck, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. As she was gazing at the stars, she slowly felt asleep.


	2. What binds us together

**NB: Due to a bad manip, I've erased my story before uploading it again. I'm really sorry for any inconveniences it may have caused. Now I know how to edit chapter and everything. Again, I'm really sorry.**

**What binds us together.**

Days became weeks for Charlie. Rick had decided to let her stay with them and when he realized she was not a threat, he accepted her in the group. Dale was talking a lot to her. It seemed like this man was the wiseman in the group. He would always try to calm people down when they where fighting and he would himself remain calm when people try to get to him. She had learned that Lori was pregnant. She also learned that Andrea had lost her sister a while back. He told her the group was bigger back them but that some people were killed after their camp was attacked and that some people decided to leave. They had it rough but they were still alive. He also told her about Carol's daughter and what was inside the barn and why they wouldn't want her to sleep in there. She could ask anything and would always answer with the truth, he did not tried to hide anything away from her. He told her also about Carl and Ottis. As she was cutting wood for Hershel, Shane came close to her.

-How are you doing?

-Well, I'm pretty tired. It's not something fun to do and I would like to rest a bit.

-Gimme the axe, asked Shane. I have some free time, I could always help you. But there is something I want to know, why do you have this tatoo?

Charlie looked down at her arm. Since she was here, nobody had asked anything about the tatoo covering her shoulder all the way down to her elbow.

-The flowers represent the best I have in me, the sunflowers is to remind me to do like the sun and turn myself to the best things in life instead of the bad. The roses have thorns to make me remember that life hurts sometimes. The poppies remind my grandfathers who were in the army.

-And the lock and the chain? Why is it open with a key inside?

-That is to remind me that I'm free. Growing up in a pretty fucked up family did not help me at all. My father would beat me when something was not going the way he wanted and my mom was lost in acid paradise. So when I am about to give up, I just look at my arm and it reminds me that I am strong and can overpass anything.

-Well, that's a nice way of thinking. I'm sorry but I have another things to attend to. I'll see ya at the campfire.

She nodded her head and took the axe from his hands, slightly touching his wrists. She became red and quickly went back to cutting wood. When she finished cutting the last log, the sun was high in the sky. She took a minute to admire it. At that moment, she felt like she was on vacation with a bunch of friends. But these where a hell of a vacation. They had to sleep outside. They needed to make sure everything was secured. They needed to plan their every single move before going in town to get supplies. But for Charlie, watching the sun was one of the best thing that could happen at that moment.

-Have you seen Carl, asked Lori as she was passing by.

-No, have you checked near the barn? I know he likes to play nearby sometimes.

After taking a small pause, she headed to the laundry station to help to women there. They were talking about their lifes before all of this happened. Apparently, Carol was relieved that her husband was gone but she was still wishing her daughter was still alive. Andrea missed her entire family and Lori was the luckiest of them all. She had two men taking care of her and a son to take care of.

-What about you Charlie? Who do you miss, asked Lori.

-Oh, well, he was tall and blond with these gorgeous brown eyes. He would wait for me at home, keep me warm at night and protect me from anything that would happen. But this son of a bitch left me alone when all of this started. He was too scared and I couldn't run after him. Still, I hope he's allright. I truly miss him! I also miss my washing machine!

-He looked like a handsome men, said Andrea smiling at her.

-It was my dog you idiot, said Charlie, laughing.

All the women laughed and kept on talking until the last piece of clothing was folded. They then proceeded to the fireplace. Charlie like these evenings with the girls where they would just talk about all and nothing. She really liked when Carol and Lori would talk about their kids. She always wanted to have kids but could never get along well enough with a man to think about it. She kept on going to the truck to get a bottle of water in her bag. The sun was about to disappear behind the moutains and she needed some rest. She started heading to the fireplace when she spotted Lori yelling at Carl. Apparently, he had gone in the forest without telling anyone and he also took a gun. Lori looked about to exploded as she was yelling to Carl that he made a really bad mistake and that she would tie him to her to make sure he would stay nearby. Rick came by and calmed her down before walking to the fireplace.

-We need supplies. We are running low on food and need to make another trip to town. Any ideas?

-Don't go in the small store near the bar, everything is empty. I couldn't find a lot of things in there. You could give it a try but I doubt you'll find anything, said Charlie.

As they were debating whether or not to got in there, Charlie started yawning. She left after saying good night to everyone and headed to the pick-up truck. She took her blanket out of her back, wrapped it around her shoulders and put throw her head back to look at the stars. She was lost in her thought. Talking about her dog made her feel sad. She really missed him. She understood why he ran off when all of this happened but she was hoping he had found someone to take care of him. It was a good dog and she hoped to see it again. As she was trying to find the northern star, she felt a presence near the truck, she quickly turned around to found Shane looking at her.

-I wanted to scare you but I knew it would not be a good idea so I was just waiting for you to realize I was here. Do you mind if I join you? Dale is talking about his RV trips again and they really bother me.

-Climb up in Hotel Charlie. The best place in town these days. It's a bit rustic but the view is awesome.

Shane climbed up and came to sat next to her. He started looking at the stars with her. Charlie did not know what to think about. She wanted to talk but she didn't know what to say. It was a long time since she was near a man alone and she did not wanted to trouble this peaceful moment. She wanted to put her head on Shane's shoulder. Lori was lucky, Shane and Rick where looking after her and since she was pregnant, everyone would be nice to her. Carol had Daryl to make sure she was not hitting the bottom with the loss of her daughter. Andrea had Dale to look after her while Hershel and Jimmy took great care of the other women. Glenn and Maggie had a thing going on. She was the only one not having anyone looking after her. Having Shane with her made her feel better. At least, he cared a bit about her.

-I've been thinking a lot about the story of your tatoo. You must be relieved that they are gone?

-I do. But at the same time, they are still my parents. My mom was probably eaten alive, thinking the people in front of her were hallucinations or something. My dad might have died trying to be a hero but he was such a looser, he probably just ran off and disappeared. What about you? Who do YOU miss?

-Nobody. I did not get along well with my family and my ex-girlfriend was a bitch. I am lucky enough to have my best friend and his family with me.

As she turned her head to look at Shane, she saw a silhouette in the distance. Probably Dale going for a walk. They kept on talking about all and nothing until Charlie took all courage and put her head on Shane's shoulder. She felt... good. Shane passed his arm around her shoulders as they were talking.

-It's nice to have you with us. I'm happy to see you're getting along with pretty much everyone. I hope you like us, because we do like you. It's important to stay together. We've all made pretty bad decisions but what counts the most is that we survive.

Charlie stared at him. What did he mean by bad decisions? She knew Dale suspected Shane of killing Ottis to remain alive but that was just a rumor. She doubted it was real but she was thinking about it sometimes. She could still see Dale from a distance when he suddenly stopped to look at something. She then saw a shadow going behind him. She pushed Shane and jumped out of the truck to start running to Dale when she heard him yell. She kept going faster, trying to get there in time but when she arrived, a walker, like the group was calling them, had shove his rotten hand inside Dale's stomach. Charlie quickly took Dale's gun and shot the creature before it could bite him but it was too late, Dale was already condemned.

-No! Dale, you'll be okay! Just hang on, yelled Charlie as Rick, Shane and the rest of the others arrived near them. Tears began to fill her eyes. Carl was looking at the creature and seemed terrified. Daryl looked at the other and pointed the gun on Dale's head, then shot him. It was too much to handle for Charlie, she returned to the truck, curled up at the back of it and started crying. How could this happened? She knew the fences couldn't let any walker come in. Maybe this one came from the forest but they would have seen it before it could reach someone. She couldn't sleep that night. She kept looking all around her to make sure no more walker would attack them.

The next morning, she saw the group heading towards the barn. Something was going on. As she came closer, she could see that Carl was crying and that Rick was trying to comfort him. Everybody looked shocked.

-Carl just explained to us what happened, said Rick. When he went in the forest yesterday, he saw a walker stuck in the ground and thought it was a good idea to taunt him. He started throwing rocks at it and then pointed the gun, God knows where he found it, at his head. But as he was aiming, the walker managed to get up and walk towards him. He got scared and left without killing it. He didn't tell nobody because he was afraid we would be furious. But it's okay, it's just a mistake.

-A MISTAKE! yelled Charlie. Are you serious? A mistake is when you drop your plate on the ground or say something mean to someone you love. This is not a mistake, Rick! Other walkers could be on their way right now! Somebody got killed by your son's "mistake"!

She regretted yelling at Rick but she could not understand why this was not affecting him a little more. His friend died because of his son and for him, it was okay, it was just a little mistake. Surprisingly, Andrea and Shane took her side.

-I've showed you how to use a gun before, said Shane to Carl. You knew you had to aim for the head if you saw a walker. Why didn't you do it?

-He's right! I lost my friend because of you! yelled Andrea. But that can't affect you, right Rick? Your son and your wife are with you, you have a baby on the way! Take out the walkers and you have a fucking perfect life! What if Lori was the one killed by the walker? Would it still be a mistake? Would you still tell him it's okay?

-Calm down, everyone! said Hershel. Now we have a bigger problem. If other walkers are roaming in the forest, you can't sleep outside. I'll let you inside but it's my house and my rules. Do you understand?

-Yes sir, said the group before heading to the campsite.

Charlie went to get her back inside the pick-up truck and then walked towards the balcony. When everybody arrived, they headed inside.

-Charlie, T-Dog, Shane, Andrea and Carol, you'll be sleeping in the living room. Rick, Lori and Carl, I have a bed upstairs. The supper will be ready soon so make yourselves at ease.

As she was preparing her stuff, she spotted Maggie looking at them.

-Hi, said Charlie.

-Hi, replied Maggie. Lori, Carol and you are about my size so why don't you come in my room, I could probably find clothes for you.

They all followed her upstairs. As she was opening her drawers and closets, the girls became teenagers again, trying all different type of clothes and complimenting each other. As Charlie was going through the clothes, she spotted at black tank top and decided it would go well with jean shorts. But before she could put in on, the girls turned to her and Lori threw her a white dress with flowers printed over it and a large bow in the middle.

-Try this, we want to see your feminine side, said Carol.

As Charlie took out her clothes, she started inspecting her body. She had lost weight. A lot of weight. The lack of good food was showing on everybody. She then proceeded to put the dress on. She looked at herself in the mirror, being shocked by her reflection.

-Wow, you're beautiful, said Maggie as she was putting on a pair of jeans and a green t-shirt.

Carol went behind her to undo her ponytail. Charlie looked at her in shock. She did not wanted them to see her hair. They really suffered from the lack on hair conditioner and they would probably look horrible but to her surprise, they were looking good. They were now at her mid-waist and still had curves. Charlie became red as Carol was passing her fingers through her hair.

- I like it very much but I'll go with the tank top and shorts. It's more practical. But if you can find me a date, I would gladly wear it! Maggie, I'll take these grey sneakers if you don't mind!.

The girls all put their new clothes on, laughing. But the tension could still be felt in the room. They all tried to put what about moments ago behind them but it was difficult. They then proceeded to go in the kitchen when Patricia, Beth and Jimmy were setting up the table. As they sat down, Hershel started saying a prayer, thanking the Lord that they were alive and could still eat. They all sat down and ate in silence.

-We should organize a ceremony for Dale tomorrow. T-Dog, would you dig the hole?

-And why couldn't it be Carl? It's his fault after all! replied Andrea.

-He's just a kid, said Rick. He can't do that by himself.

-But that would teach him something, replied Charlie.

-You don't have anything to say about this, said Rick.

-I do have my word to say on this, Rick! replied Charlie as her face became glowing red. First, you could ask Hershel if he wants to bury Dale on HIS property!

-Listen, we accepted you with us but that doesn't mean you can just take part in our problems.

-You all decided to let me stay with you, Rick. And stop treating me like a kid! I've been cutting wood, washing laundry, repairing things and helping everyone and I still can't place a word?! Are you fucking kidding me?! Don't forget that YOU were just like me at some point. Dale told me how it was when you came to them! Yes, you saved a lot of people back there but YOU once were a newcomer too! The only reason you were accepted faster then me was because your wife, son and best friend were there! You took over Shane, you handcuffed Daryl's brother to a roof and you think you're the best person in the world?! Yes, Shane might have fucked your wife but as far as I know, she's still alive and it's the same for your son and you still treat him like shit! When I came here, I did EVERY SINGLE THING you asked without saying a word but now, it's too much! YOU went to this group and took over Shane who was the leader and he did not say anything. You handcuffed Daryl's brother on a roof and you might have came back but it was too late and you ask Daryl tons of things without even showing a bit of respect for him! He's the one taking care of Carol the most and you can't even see that! Hershel was nice enough to let us stay on his farm AND took care of your son when he was shot! But no, you prefer to ask everyone to do things you don't even do. Yes, you take decisions and yes, you do a lot for us but it's the same for everyone. Being a leader is not like being a God! Thank you for this awesome meal and I am sorry that I've caused a commotion in your house, if you don't want to see me anymore, I will understand, said Charlie as she turned to Hershel.

She then proceeded outside, trying her best not to slam the door. She was furious after Rick. She did not like the way he was treating people. She could understand that his son and wife were important to him but the way he was treating all the others made her sick. He was a good leader, there was no doubt about it but his attitude was getting to her. She sat on the steps and then looked at the stars, trying to find a way to make things better. She heard the door open but did not turn around, she was too furious to confront anyone and wanted to be alone.

-Thank you, said Carol. I'm really happy someone took Daryl's side. It's true that he's the one taking care of me the most. Since my daughter died, he's been making sure I had everything I needed. He was the one who looked for her every single day. He could spent hours in the woods trying to find her and everytime he would come back, you could see the sadness in his eyes. When she came out of the barn as a walker, he couldn't do anything. He just stood there and watched as she was coming out of the barn. I thought that he would be the one shooting her to put her out of her misery but it was Rick who did it. Thank you again. Why don't you come back inside, Rick as calmed down and Shane and Andrea as well as Hershel took your side. Come, you need to eat.

Charlie came back in the house and sat down at the table, looking at Rick. They all ate in silence and she decided to help Patricia with the dishes. As she was washing plates, she could hear people laughing in the living room. She could not wait to go with them and apologize for what she did. That's when Patricia turned to her.

-You should not take Shane's side so much you know. He's the one who opened the barn and killed all the walkers in there. We also think he's the one who killed Ottis. He's not the good guy here.

-Nobody's good anymore. I saw Rick kill two guys but still decided to come here. It's not like he's the only one making hard decisions. We will never know what happened to Ottis but we should stop blamming Shane. He still does good things. He takes care of everyone here just like Rick does.

After the last plate was cleaned she went in the living room to find Shane, Daryl, Andrea, Carol and T-Dog talking. They all stopped to look at her.

-I'm sorry. I should not have yelled like I did. I'm sorry if I opened up an old wound Shane, it was not my intention. Daryl, I thank you for taking good care of Carol, I really appreciate it. T-Dog, thank you for what you're doing and I apologize for reminding you of what happened back in Atlanta.

-It's okay, said Andrea. Thank you for saying the things you said. You stood up for Dale and reminded Rick that he's the one who came to us and that he should have more respect for you. I'm pretty sure Hershel like the fact that you asked for his opinion before burying Dale here. He might have been a pain in the ass sometimes but he was the wisest of us. He always tried to calm us down when we were about to kill each other.

-I'll stay up tonight. said Daryl as he headed towards the front door.

Charlie sat on the couch, trying to get as comfortable as she could. She wanted to lay on the couch but she wanted people to have a place to sit if they could not sleep. The next morning, she saw Rick and Carl digging a hole near the forest, probably for Dale. She joined the others and waited until T-Dog and Daryl brought Dale's corpse near the hole. As Hershel was saying a prayer, she was trying to contain her tears. She already missed Dale. She then took a handful of dirt and threw it on Dale's corpse, saying goodbye to the man who helped her figure out what was going on in this group. When the hole was filled, they all sat down on the porch. Trying to find out what to do next. They all agreed they needed more supplies and that Lori needed to have special pills for pregnant women since she could not eat as much as she needed.

Daryl decided to go hunting in the forest. Carol and Lori decided to stay to clean the place up a bit. Andrea wanted to go with Shane. Maggie was going to the parmacy with Glenn. As Charlie was asking herself what to do, Rick turned around and pointed the pick-up truck. She did not wanted to go with him but she had no choice. She still wanted to be as useful as she could.

-I'm sorry for yesterday, said Charlie.

-It's okay. You stood up for what you believed and that is a good thing but you need to understand that this is not easy for me too. They all rely on me to find solutions for their problems. My best friend and my wife had an affair and we don't know who's the father. We will probably never know. My son did terrible mistake but maybe he needed this to understand the life we're in now. People die, people get crazy and we all do things we regret after.

Charlie kept looking in front of her as Rick was driving. She could understand it was not easy to know your best friend was in love with your wife. As they arrived at the gas station, she took out her hunting knife and proceeded to go inside, followed by Rick. They searched everywhere. They took bags of chips, bottles of water and canned food but could not find anything more. As Charlie was heading to the back, she stopped walking. She could hear noise in the back. Rick went to the far left as she kept on going forward. She opened up the door leading inside the fridge and stopped right in the middle of the door as she was looking with horror on what she had walk into.

There was a man sitting on the ground, clearly dead. He had shot himself in the head. Two walkers where eating from inside his chest, feasting on his organs. One of the walkers lifted his head up to sniff the air, realizing fresh meat had enter the fridge. She waited for the walker to come closer as she was waving her knife in front of her. That's when she saw other walkers coming out from the back of the fridge. She quickly turned around, telling Rick to run to the truck. As they arrived in, Rick did not wait for her to close the door and started driving.

-We should go back and kill them, maybe they could find a way to us. I don't want what happened to Dale to happen again.

They went back, waiting for the walkers to come outside but they were nowhere to be found. As she went back in the store, she realized they could not open the door. For more security, she decided to put something in front of the door just so the walkers could not get out. After that, they went back to the truck and drove to the farmhouse. As she came out, she saw Andrea smiling at Shane. Maggie arrived soon after with Glenn and bags of medecines. Daryl came out of the forest with a deer on his shoulders. Charlie was smiling. They all had made it back. As they unpacked everything, she decided to go for a walk, since Carol and Lori had made an excellent job at cleaning. As she was going behind the house, she was Shane and Andrea talking. She hid behind the wall, she was curious to know what these two were saying.

-We should leave together, said Andrea to Shane as she touched his back. This place is not safe anymore. Besides that, they are still thinking you killed Ottis. This place is not safe for you. Come with me. We could live together.

Charlie quickly made her way back to the front of the house, trying to remain as silent as possible. She could not believe what she just heard. She took Shane's side and now Andrea and him wanted to leave? She admitted to herself she was jealous. She did not wanted Shane to leave. As days were passing by, she was getting more interested in him. Yes, he was a troublemaker and he was getting into a rageous mood sometimes but she still felt something for him. She did not know what to do. Telling it to Rick would cause the group to fight again and letting Shane leave with Andrea would make her sad. But she did not hear him answer Andrea's question so there was still hope. Maybe he would stay here.


	3. Flowers are fading

**NB1: As I was reading chapter two, I realized that I was rushing things up way too much (Exemple: Dale had just died - Girls go in the room, laughing) and it was realing confusing. I guess I was in a rush to publish these two chapters, but it was not a good idea. **

**NB2: This chapter was really hard to write. I wanted my OC to confront Andrea but I could not find a great way for her to do so. I also had tons of ideas for this chapter and tried to blend them together.  
**

**Flowers are fading.**

Charlie was sitting on top of the RV, looking around her. After Dale's death, the group had decided that at least one person should be watching the fields while the others were doing their things. Charlie might have looked like she was watching but she was lost in her thoughts. She could not get out of her mind the fact that Andrea wanted to leave with Shane. She was wondering what Shane was thinking about all of this. Maybe she was pointless to him, maybe he was still in love with Lori even if Rick was there. It was hard to say and she wished Dale was still by her side to help her.

-I need you in the kitchen, said Patricia. Jimmy will be taking over for now.

She followed Patricia back in the kitchen. Patricia was really nice to her, she would always thank Charlie when she did something for her and she would make sure she was okay. As Charlie started peeling carrots for dinner, she cutted herself, again lost in her own thoughts. Patricia rushed to her with a clean towel.

-Is something troublin' ya? You seem quit distant these days. asked Patricia

-I miss Dale, I wished he would still be there with us. replied Charlie, suddenly becoming stiff. Can i ask you something?

-Of course, sweetheart, what is it?

-Well, if someone wanted to leave the house with someone else and not come back and another person did not...

-Hold on, honey, you're confusing me right now. Slow down a bit and try to be clearer, said Patricia, gently putting her hand on Charlie's shoulder.

-I have heard Andrea asking Shane to leave with her but I don't want him to leave! I don't want any of us to leave!

-Well, you know my opinion about Shane. I would not mind if he would leave the house but I can see that this is troubling ya. Maybe you should talk to them about it?

As they kept on preparing dinner, she was thinking about a way to approach Andrea. "Keep your hands off of him, bitch!" did not seemed like the best idea ever. Charlie had tried to be nice to everyone and had followed Dale's advice to always remain calm when something did not please her but that was way too much. She was furious at Andrea. She had helped her, made sure she was okay after the funerals and listened to her whenever she wanted to talk. She felt betrayed.

She then heard Maggie calling her from upstairs, asking her to come in her room. When she arrived, she could not believe her eyes. Lori, Carol, Maggie and Andrea were all wearing dresses. Maggie was wearing a gorgeous yet simple black dress, Andrea was wearing an emerald short dress and had her hair falling down on her shoulders, Carol was wearing a gray dress that was tight on top but larger at the bottom and Lori was wearing a ruby red dress that showed perfectly her cute baby bump. The dress she had tried the first time she came in Maggie's bedroom was on the bed.

-Come on, put it on! said Maggie

-And let your hair down! replied Carol

When they all were ready, they decided it was time to head to the kitchen. When they arrived, the men were already sitting at the table. Daryl was the first one to turn his head. He opened up his mouth but couldn't say a word. They could all clearly see that he was looking at Carol. Rick was doing the same with Lori. Maggie went to sit next to Glenn and Andrea quickly made her way next to Shane. Charlie had no choice but to go and sit between T-Dog and Carl.

-Y'all are beautiful! said Daryl

The women all blushed as they were complimented by the men, even Carl agreed they were all pretty. Patricia arrived from the kitchen to serve them. She had made grilled vegetables with a roastbeef. Hershel went to his room and came back with two bottles of wine. He opened them up and started serving everyone. Even Carl could have some. Charlie only drank one glass of wine. She was not used to drink. She decided to make herself a coffee after supper. As she sat on the porch, the door opened up and Lori came outside.

-May I join you? Shane drank a little too much and things are heating up in there.

They started talking about their respective dresses. Charlie was not used to be complimented like this. Her feminine side was not really strong and she would always prefer a pair of jeans and a t-shirt instead of a dress. Charlie eventually finished her cup of coffee and was about to head inside when Shane came out, pushing her to the side.

-Lori! Don't deny it, you love me. This baby is mine! There's no doubt about it! Stop acting like nothing happened! yelled Shane as he tried to grab Lori.

-No! Shane, leave me alone! yelled Lori as she was trying to escape.

Before Charlie could move, the door opened, slamming on her face. As she rubbed her nose, she saw Rick running to Shane, pushing him away from Lori. He punched him on the face and Shane fell on the floor. As he was trying to get up, Rick jumped on him and started throwing punches on Shane's ribs. Lori went behind Charlie while Hershel and T-Dog came out of the house. When Charlie turned back to the men, she could see that Shane had managed to get up and that Rick was looking at him. She could see the hate in their eyes, things were about to turn ugly.

-Stop this! yelled Hershel. If you want to fight, go away from here. I won't accept this on my property!

-He's right, replied Shane, let's act like men. If you really want to fight with me, let's go somewhere, just you and me!

They started walking away from the house, yelling insults at each other. Charlie could not believe her eyes. She was trying to comfort Lori who was crying, sitting on a rockingchair, blamming herself for all of this. Andrea was passing her hand in Lori's hair, murmuring to her that it would all be okay. Carol was next to Daryl, looking at Charlie. She couldn't say a word and her nose was still hurting her. They were all getting along well moments ago. How could have this happened? She suddenly felt weird, something was not right. She could not tell what it was but she just knew. She was not the only one, Hershel had the same look across his face, like something terrible was about to happen.

-I'll go get them. said Charlie. I have this weird feeling that they will end up hurting each other. They both drank and things could get ugly if nobody stops them.

She could see them, far away from the house. They were moving in circles, like lions about to fight. She was about to arrive close to him when she spotted the knife on Rick's hand as they were both running to the other.

-NOOOO! yelled Charlie as she started running.

Shane turned his head towards her as Rick tried to stab him. Charlie could see Shane fall and she ran to him. She could see that he was bleeding a lot. His shirt was ripped on his chest and she could see blood flowing out of the wound. She started putting pressure on Shane's chest to stop the bleeding. She started crying.

-WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO YOUR BEST FRIEND?! shouted Charlie as she tried to get Shane back up on his feet.

Rick was looking at her, his knife still in his hand. Charlie could see the doubt in his eyes. He fell to his knees, grabbing his head with both hands. Shane was breathing heavily and he was bleeding a lot. She slowly made her way to the front porch. She fell on her knees when she arrived at the front porch. She heard Hershel say something to Maggie while T-Dog and Glenn carried Shane inside.

-I'm so... started Rick.

-DON'T YOU DARE SAY YOU'RE SORRY! You were ready to kill your best friend for your fucking wife! What were you thinking?! Remember Rick, you once told me to understand you. To understand your pain. But can't you understand his? He's lost the group he was leading when you arrived, the women he loves is pushing him away and she denies everything that have happened between them! He took care of your son! And you thought that killing him would end your fucking misery?! Trust me, when the baby will be in your arms, you will be asking yourself every fucking day if it's yours!

-Calm down, said Andrea.

-Oh, you shut up okay?! Don't try to be so innocent. I've heard you and Shane talk! I know you want to leave with him so don't try to calm us down! Do you really think that Shane would leave Lori here and flee with a dumbass blonde who can't have a gun because she shot her own friend, thinking he was a walker?!

They all looked at Andrea. Charlie was ready to fight with her. She was so pissed at Rick and Andrea. One wanted to kill Shane while the other wanted him to leave with her. They both were using Shane and she knew it. That made her furious.

-I know he's not the nicest man! He keeps on making fun of Glenn, he still tries to get Lori even if Rick is here but deep inside, I know he's good. Just look at the way he was with Carl before Lori decided to tell him to stay away! He keeps us safe just like RIck does! All of you, said Charlie looking at each of them, you're asking him to understand your feelings but do you even do the same for him?! NO! Am I the only one here who cares about him?

When Charlie stopped talking, she stared at Rick. He was looking straight into her eyes. Carol was crying in Daryl's arms. Andrea and Lori were now standing next to Rick. Charlie knew things would not be the same anymore. They were divided and nothing could change that.

-Lori, why do you keep on denying everything that happened? Why can't you just accept it!? You must have felt something for him at some point! Being pregnant doesn't mean being stupid! You can't tell who's the father but you prefer to cover your eyes and tell yourself that Rick his the father. You're not better then Andrea! You stayed alive because of him and when your wonderful husband came back, you kept pushing him away, telling him to stay away from your family!

Charlie starred at her a bit before running inside the house. She could hear Hershel talking upstairs. As she arrived on the second floor, she could see Glenn and T-Dog sitting in front of the door. As she tried to touch the doorknob, T-Dog stopped her.

-Hershel gave us clear instruction. Nobody enters until he is done. said T-Dog.

Charlie wanted to go inside and make sure that Shane was okay but she was not strong enough to just push T-Dog so she sat on the floor and started crying. The evening was so great moments ago. Why had they decided to fight instead of just enjoying the nice evening they were having together? She felt her heart breaking inside her chest. She was loosing faith in love and friendship. She heard someone climbing the stairs. Rick passed in front of her with Lori and Carl. She could see they were packing their things. She was furious at them but she did not wanted them to leave. She wanted the group to stay together even with what had just happened.

-We'll be in the RV if you need us. said Rick to T-Dog as he carried his bags down the stairs.

Lori gave Charlie a sad look and followed her husband outside. Charlie putted her head between her knees and waited for what seemed like hours. Hershel came out of the room with Beth and Maggie and looked at her.

-The wound was big but it didn't touch any arteries. He was lucky. He's asleep right now. Before you go see him, I want you to come downstairs with me, we need a serious meeting but I don't want you to say anything. Your rage would only make things worse.

Charlie nodded as she followed Hershel downstairs. They all sat down at the table. Hershel looked furious at Rick and Lori. Carl was looking at the adults with a sad look. This poor kid had heard everything.

-You can leave if you want but I would like you and your family to stay here. said Hershel to Rick. Shane might have killed all the walkers I was hoping to save and treated Glenn like shit but he has been useful for us. I don't want anything like this to happen again. You are always furious at Shane, Rick, but you should have a good talk with Lori because she has her faults too. You should stop blaming only Shane.

Rick did not say anything and left the house. Lori looked at them all before going outside with Carl by her side. The kitchen remained silent after they left. Charlie headed upstairs. She quietly opened the door to Shane's room and closed it behind her. He was asleep, shirtless. She could see how strong he was. She wanted to kiss his wound, hoping it would make him feel better but she was scared he would wake up so she just sat on the chair next to the bed, looking at him.

She felt someone touching her. As she opened her eyes, she saw Hershel looking at her.

- You fell alseep here last night and I did not wanted to wake you up but you need to leave me alone with him, I need to check if the wound got infected.

Charlie looked at herself. She looked terrible. Her dress was covered with dirt and blood and both her knees had scratches on them. She realized she had lost a shoe. At that moment, she felt miserable, she had ruin Maggie's dress.

-I'm sure Maggie won't mind about her dress. You saved a life yesterday, this is more important then a dress. said Hershel. Go clean yourself up a bit. I won't be long.

Charlie went into Maggie's room to get her clothes back. She put her clothes back on and headed outside. The sky was filled with grey clouds. She walked all the way up to place where the fight had happened. She found the shoe next to a red spot on the grass. Tears began to fill her eyes. She putted the sneakers back on her feet and made her way back to the house. As she came in, she saw the others looking at her. Rick and Hershel were talking at the kitchen table while Lori was talking to Carol. She went upstairs and entered the room. Shane was still asleep, he had a new bandage on his chest. Charlie putted her hand on his chest, slowly touching the white bandage. She then sat on the chair next to the bed and took Shane's hand.

-Please don't die. I should have got there earlier, I'm so sorry. You know, I still think about the first time I saw you. Did I ever told you I thought you were extremely cute? Well, you are. And I still think about when you told me I could always sleep with you if Rick could not find a place for me. Well, I wish I would have done it, even if it was just a joke. Thank you for taking care of us. Thank you for being who you are. It pains me to see the way they treat you. I wish I was Lori, you seem to love her so much. It must be painful for you to be left aside like this. If you need someone to talk to, I will be there. Even if I know that it will be painful to hear you talk about Lori, I will listen to you. said Charlie as she started to cry. Don't die, please, I need you. Don't leave with Andrea, stay with us. Don't go anywhere. Don't leave me...

Shane's eyes were still closed. Charlie could only see his chest go up and down as he was breathing. She could not find anything else to say. All she wanted was for Shane to get better. She closed her eyes and slowly felt asleep, still holding Shane's hand. When she woke up, she realized she was not in Shane's room, but that she was back in the living room. Slowly getting up, she looked around her. The dining room was a mess, plates were still filled with food and a glass was broken on the floor. She rushed to the table and started to clean the place up.

-I hope I did not wake you up, said T-Dog behind her. Hershel's the one who asked me to carry you downstairs, he wanted you to sleep in a more comfortable place. We'll be making a run into town later on, do you want to join us?

Charlie nodded her head. Getting out of the house would certainly help her. She kept on cleaning the table and then went to do the dishes. She took the broom in the closet and carefully swiped the floor, making sure she had not left any broken glass behind. After the dining room was cleaned, she headed to the livingroom. There was a mess in there too. She picked up all the blankets on the floor and headed outside to clean them. As she was washing laundry, she kept looking up to the house, hoping that Shane was okay. She then hanged all the blankets. After it was done, she went to meet with T-Dog and the others. Hershel had requested some bandages and something to clean the wounds. He also asked for a certain type of pill. Maggie was the one in charge of getting it. T-Dog, Glenn and Charlie were asked to look for the rest of the things and to grab anything they could.

When they arrived into town, Maggie and Glenn went in the pharmacy. T-Dog and Charlie headed to the conveninence store. As they came in, Charlie spotted some fake flowers and took them. She kept on searching for anything that would be useful but could not find anything. T-Dog came back to her with bandages and some magazines for the girls. They went outside to meet with the others when she heard Maggie scream from inside the pharmacy. They headed inside and saw Glenn fighting with a walker. He quickly grabbed his knife and stabbed the walker in the head. He then turned to Maggie to comfort her. She looked terrified.

-He almost bit her, said Glenn. Let's hurry up. The sky is turning grey.

They all headed outside and made their way back to the house. Charlie went to take down the blankets she had washed earlier and went inside the house. She started folding them and put them where she had found them, keeping one for herself. She went in the kitchen, took a vase in one of the cabinets and filled it with water. She then went upstairs to see Shane.

-Here. You always complain that I never give you anything when I come back from town. These flowers are obviously fake but I thought they would bright up your room a little.

She then put a clean blanket on the chair next to the bed, knowing that she would be sleeping here again tonight. As she was making her way out of the room, she heard a noise behind her. When she turned back, Shane was looking at her with a smile on his face.

-Thank you for the flowers sweetheart. And by the way, I ain't going nowhere. said Shane as Charlie started to open her mouth. I wasn't asleep when you were talking to me, I was just curious to hear what you had to say. Since you want to sleep with me so much, I guess I can make you a little space in this bed. Come.

Charlie started blushing. He had been faking he was asleep the whole time! She felt so stupid but at the same time she was happy. Shane was getting better. It was a big relief for her. She took off her shoes and climbed up in bed next to Shane. She was facing the wall, trying to be as far as Shane as she could. She was too afraid to hurt him. She felt Shane's arm around her waist. She turned around to face him. They were so close to each other. She started passing her hand in Shane's hair as the rain was starting to fall outside.

-How did you know something like this would happened? asked Shane

-I don't know, i guess i just knew it. Both of you are in love with the same woman. You were both furious at each other. It's the end of the world but that doesn't mean we can kill people when we want too.

-Well, you're right. It doesn't make sense. I'll go talk to Lori and Rick tomorrow. I need to apologize. But right now, we need some rest.

She placed herself closer to Shane and placed her face on his chest. When Shane had fell asleep, she got up and carefully placed the blanket on him and went downstairs to make herself a cup of tea. She then went on the porch and sat down on the rockingchair. The rain was pouring down. She could see light in the RV. She wanted to go sleep next to Shane so bad but she knew it was not a good idea.

-Maybe one day, Charlie said to herself. Maybe one day.


	4. Where'd you go? I miss you so

**NB: I** **have realized why I had so many stupid spelling mistakes or words that would no make sense like "realing" instead of "really". When I was posting a chapter, my autocorrect would try to translate some of the words in french and sometimes it was just extremely weird. It's now disabled. Like I said previously, English is my second langage so there might be some mistakes here and there, especially with verbs, but I'll try my best to improve.**

**NB2: The title comes from the song Where'd you go? by Fort Minor.**

**Where'd you go? I miss you so.**

It took Shane about two weeks to fully recover. The first time he got out of the room, they were all shocked to see him. They were used to do their things without him around and were now afraid he would try to be the leader again. Nobody wanted drama again. Charlie knew they were all fed up of this love triangle that would affect everyone. But Shane had changed. He had plenty of time to think about his actions when he was stuck in bed.

Meanwhile, Rick, Andrea, Lori and Carl were still living in the RV, trying to avoid all of them. Charlie and Carol had tried many times to talk to Lori but she only pushed them away. The atmosphere was tense on the Greene's property and everybody could feel it. Daryl had tried to approach Carl but Rick had chased him away, yelling that one day or another, he would need to choose a clan.

Hershel was not happy living like this. He had tried countless times to speak with Rick but he would talk to a close door since Rick was furious at them all for taking care of Shane. Charlie was annoyed by his attitude. Altough she did not wanted to have another fight with Rick, she wanted him to accept the fact that they could not live like this forever.

Charlie was hunting in the woods with Daryl. She did not know how to hunt and wanted Daryl to show her a few things that would be helpful if she ever needed to hunt for her supper. She could not clearly understand who he was. She knew he had a brother but the only thing left of him was a severed hand on top of some building in Atlanta. She also knew he was as much afflicted as Carol after he discovered that Sofia had turned into a walker. But that's all she could figure out about him. She knew something was going on between Carol and him but could never find out what it was. He would never speak about himself, he would do as he was asked and that was it. But she knew she could count on him. He was probably the toughest of them all but still never showed it. But still she wanted to know more about the guy who had found her when she first arrived at the farmhouse.

-Maybe we should...

-Shhhh. quietly but firmly said Daryl. Rule number one is to shut up when you' huntin'.

Charlie remained quiet for the rest of the trip, trying not to make any noise. She knew she was slowing down Daryl but it was really fun to watch him hunt. After a few hours and two deers, they decided to head back to the house. Daryl hunged up the dear and started to carve it. Charlie was watching him closely and repeated every single move he did on the second dear. Her carving skill was not very good and Daryl eventually continued to carve the second dear as Charlie was watching him. They would have something else then beed for dinner and that made Charlie very happy. She was a bit fed up of eating beef all the time, it seemed to her that every meal would taste the same but in times like these, it was not a good idea to be picky about what she was eating.

Charlie went to sit on the porch, wiping the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. She was looking at the RV. Rick was standing on top of it with Carl, showing him something while Lori and Andrea were sitting in front, washing clothes. It had been like this for days. They would try to avoid them as much as they could, only talking to them when they were heading outside the farm. All of this was getting on Charlie's nerves. She could not understand why they were acting like kids. They were friends before and now they were almost ennemies. Each clan would tolerate the other and that was it. They would not share food, they would not talk to each other, they would just watch what the others where doing. Charlie knew that this drama was irritating Hershel.

-Why are you sweating? It's not that hot outside, said Shane as he came outside the house.

-I just came back from the forest with Daryl. We were, well, he was hunting and I was learning. replied Charlie with a smile.

Shane was sitting on the rockingchair and was looking at Charlie. She blushed a bit and kept on looking at the RV. She wanted to know how Shane was feeling about all of this but she did not wanted to make him sad by talking about so she kept her worries for herself. For the past few days, she had took care of Shane as much as she could, helping Hershel clean the wounds and washing Shane's blanket when he was not in bed. He did not asked her again to sleep in the same bed and he did not asked questions about why she wouldn't stay with him the first night. But she still wanted to share his bed. Charlie spent the rest of the day reading on the porch. She had done all the tasks she was asked for and couldn't find anything else to do.

After supper, Hershel asked them all to gather around the table. He wanted to have a talk with the entire group. He wanted the Grimmes family and Andrea to come back with them. Everybody wanted the same thing but they did not know what to do. They all sat down and started to talk.

-This will be my last attempt. I did everything in my power to ask them to come back and I don't know what to do anymore. It pains me to live like this. I can't just sit down and watch this group fall apart by a stupid fight that should have never happened. Do you have a suggestion for me? Anything that would make them want to come back with us?

Charlie looked at Shane. She knew he was the one who could figure out this problem but instead of talking, he kept looking at his shoes, avoiding eye contact with anyone. After a couple of suggestions, they decided that the best thing to do was for all of them to gather near the RV and explain why they wanted them to come back. They all headed outside and went in front of the RV. They could hear Rick talking to someone. Glenn was the first one to talk.

-Listen, hum, I don't really know what to say here. Rick, you've helped us escape from this building in Atlanta but I did save your life. You were good to us and we truly miss you. Please, come back with us.

-You've helped me a lot when I was mad at myself for dropping the key that could have saved Merle and you always made sure that everyone was nice to me. You have protected the camp and everyone who was in it and made critical decisions when we couldn't do it ourselves. said T-Dog.

-You might have killed my daughter but I know it was the good thing to do and I am forever grateful for that. Lori, I miss out little conversations when we used to wash laundry together. I want things to be like they were before. said Carol.

-You accepted me with you even if you did not know who I was and made sure, even when you would not trust me, that I had food and water and a safe place to sleep. I am sorry for the things I've said to you. Lori, I am sorry too. This had nothing to do with me and I should've kept my mouth shut. said Charlie.

-Listen, I've been a complete dick to you guys. I had an affair with your wife, I even tried to replace you with Carl but deep inside, I truly miss my best friend. I did everything I could at the hospital to save you but I panicked and thought that running away was the best solution. I did some pretty bad mistakes and I think about it every single day. Please, forgive me guys. If you don't want to, I'll understand but at least come back for the rest of the group, they truly miss you. said Shane.

-Rick, I've been good to you and your group but this has to stop. We can't live on the same property without talking to each other. I've made myself clear the first time. This is my house and my rules. I forgive you for what you did to Shane, just like everybody else and I would like you to come back with us. finally said Hershel.

Daryl was the only one who did not say anything. They all knew he was still mad at Rick but was clever enough to remain quiet instead of yelling at him. But the door remained closed. They waited for what seemed like hours but the door did not open once. The silence surrounding them was heavy. They could not hear anything coming from inside of the RV and that was painful for them all. They had try their best to prove to the Grimmes and to Andrea that they wanted the group to be back together again but it was a failure. They did not know what to do.

-Well, we need to have a good talk together to know what will happen next. But for now, we need some sleep. Goodnight everyone.

Charlie followed the rest of the group inside the house and sat on the floor. She was Shane looking at her as he was going upstairs. She knew he wanted her to follow him but she remained in the livingroom, thinking about what she could do to bring the group back together. She slowly fell asleep. When she woke up, she could smell the delicious aroma of freshly made coffee. She first stopped in the bathroom to clean her face before heading to the kitchen. She made two cups of coffee and went back in the living room. She could not see Shane so she decided to go on the porch to see if he was there.

He was sitting on the porch, looking at the RV. Charlie sat down on the rockingchair and gave him a cup of coffee. She then wrapped a blanket around her. Early mornings were always cold. The sun was peeking through some clouds and it was extremely peaceful outside. She could hear the birds singing in the forest. She kept looking at Shane who was still looking at the RV.

-Do you think he will ever forgive me for what I did? asked Shane as he kept looking in from of him.

-Well, he should. You are not the only one who did a mistake. Lori has her faults too. She could have pushed you away the first time and she could have tell Carl that you were not his father because Rick was dead. I'm the one who caused all of this. I mean, I am the one who yelled at Andrea and Rick. I'm the one who told Lori she was an idiot. You one were a part of their family. Me, I'm just a stranger then met when the one had changed for the worst. He could have kicked me out but decided to let me stay and that's how I thank him.

-Maybe you're right. But I have to tell you that I miss them. I always had a thing for Lori and I guessed that when I left the hospital, thinking Rick would die, I took my chance and got lucky that day. I miss the life I had when Rick wasn't there. But I guess I got what I deserve. Just to let you know, Andrea wants to leave with me because I allowed her to have sex with me a long time ago. Maybe she thought I was in love with her or something. I'm the worst human being left on this fucking planet.

Charlie's heart crumbled in her chest. He had an affair with Andrea too. She did not wanted to know that. She thought Shane only had eyes for Lori. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to go after a man who could not control his pulsions. Maybe she would be just another woman he had fucked. She tried to make herself believe that Shane was not in love with Andrea. That he just had needs that needed to be fulfilled and took the opportunity. Maybe it was just something to make Lori jealous. But she kept her promise and listened to everything he had to say about Lori and Carl even if she was about to burst into tears.

Shane stopped talking when they heard the sound of the RV's engine. They were probably heading to town again, trying to find something to eat or drink. They remained quiet, both looking at the back of the RV. When it was out of sight, Charlie got up and walked back inside the house.

-Thank you for listening to me Charlie, softly said Shane.

She did not answer and kept on going. She helped Patricia clean the kitchen and proceeded to clean the living room. She then went upstairs to take the blankets on Shane's bed. She had a small, sad smile when she realized that the flowers were still in the vase next to Shane's bed. She took Shane's clothes off the floor and pressed her face on a t-shirt he had wear. She was craving his smell. She wanted to be next to him so bad. She wanted to take his shirt off, she wanted to press her lips against his. She bit herself in the jaw, trying to come back to the real world. She could not be with Shane right now. She needed for all of this to be done before she could express her feelings to him. She was nothing compared to Lori for Shane and she knew it but she kept on telling herself that she would have her chance one day.

She exited the house and started washing clothes with T-Dog. She liked him a lot. He was always ready to help and was the one who would always tell great jokes when the needed someone to cheer them up. When they finished washing the clothes, they headed back in the house. They sat down at the table and listened to Hershel. He needed some things back from town. He wanted some type of cream for his back and Beth had asked him for some tampons. The man laughed as Hershel asked for the last things. They all looked at Charlie and Carol.

-You are idiots, said Charlie, laughing. It's the end of the world and you can't even grab some tampons for a woman in need?! Jerks! I'll go but we need to wait. Rick had left earlier today so we should wait for them to come back before going.

And that's what they did. They waited, waited and waited for hours for the RV to come back but as sun was falling down, they all started to panick. Rick would always come back during the day. He would never travel at night unless it was an emergency. Charlie went inside the kitchen to make herself a tea and then went outside with the rest of the group, hoping to see the RV. But it never came back. She could see that Daryl was looking at something and when she wanted him to tell them what he was looking at, he waved to her and grabbed his crossbow. Charlie could now see it, there was someone, or something, coming down the alley leading to the farm. Daryl shot right next to the moving thing and they heard the thing scream.

-DON'T SHOOT! IT'S ME, ANDREA!

Charlie could see Andrea running to the house. When she arrived, she was panting and they let her calm down for a bit before asking questions to her.

-I was in the gas station when they left. Rick had asked me to get some candies for Lori, since she was craving it and when I went inside, I could hear the RV leaving the road. I tried to run to them but it was too late. They abandonned me in the middle of nowhere. I decided to come back here even after what I did to you guys. I can tell you that they hesitated earlier today, they did not know what to do. But I guess they know now since they decided to leave me in the middle of nowhere!

Charlie could not believe what she just heard. She never thought that Rick could leave a living human being behind. The entire group was shocked by what Andrea just told them. The problem was solved but no one wanted it like this. But now she had another problem. Andrea was back. She had hope to never see her again but here she was.

After a couple more questions, they headed inside the house. Charlie changed herself in the bathroom. Maggie had agreed to give her some pajama pants. She took her bra and socks off. She then took Shane's clothes and blankets and went in his room to make his bed. When she entered the room, she blushed and quiclky turned the other way. Shane was only wearing boxers.

-Sorry. I should have knocked before entering your room. Here, I've washed you clothes. I can make your bed if you want.

-Thank you. And what's your problem?! You never saw a man in boxers before? You can always make my bed if you want to.

-I hope you're not too sad that they decided to leave us here, replied Charlie while making the bed. I know your feelings about Lori and I think it sucks that she abandonned you like this. I mean, you did so much for them and now you're alone with a bunch of strangers. Well, there you go! Clean clothes and clean bed! Do you need something else?

-Lori might have abandonned me but I know someone who never did.

Before she could say anything, she felt Shane lips on hers. She closed her eyes and let herself go to this kiss she had been craving for. His lips were soft. He pushed his tongue inside her mouth and pulled her off the floor before gently laying her on the bed. He kept on kissing her, slowly touching her back. Charlie passed her hair in Shane's hair before touching his chest. She pushed Shane away from her a bit.

-May I sleep in your bed tonight? said Charlie before pressing her lips on his once again.

Shane did not answer and held her tighter. She did spend the night in Shane's bed but they could not sleep. They kept on kissing and touching each other. Charlie had wanted this moment for so long. Her time had come and she was enjoying it, despite everything Shane had told her earlier. She wanted to tell Shane so many things but she did not wanted to ruin this moment with words. She instead decided to enjoy Shane's presence hoping that Lori would never come back.


	5. Meant to be together

**Meant to be together.**

Charlie was still in Shane's arms when she woke up. The sound of the falling rain made her smile. She could see that there was a storm outside and thought it would be a perfect day to lay in bed and sleep all day long. Shane was still asleep, she could see his chest slowly moving up and down as he was breathing. She smiled a bit and went closer to him. As she was about to fall asleep again, she could feel Shane moving and opened her eyes. He was looking at her, half-asleep and Charlie thought he was the cutest men alive.

She got up and put her clothes back on. She wanted to let him sleep since she had made him stay up almost all night long. She did not needed more sleep, the joy and adrenaline rush was enough to keep her awake. She went downstairs to meet the others. Carol was looking at her with a smile and she could see that Andrea was not happy at all. Charlie thought that if her eyes where knifes, she could have killed her by now but she did not care, she was happy. She went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee and saw Patricia waiting for the coffee to be ready.

-Good morning sweetheart, said Patricia with a smile. I see that you had good company last night! I want details!

-Yes mom! replied Charlie, laughing. Well, he finally kissed me! And for once, someone else then my dog kept me warm at night. It was... fabulous!

Charlie could see that there was something else just by the look of Patricia but she decided to remain quiet and enjoy the morning. Since there was rain outside, she knew that they would need to stay inside for the day so she headed to the living room and decided to clean the house from top to bottom. She sat down and took a book from one of the shelved and started reading while enjoying her cup of coffee. Moments after, she heard the stairs squeaking, someone was coming down. She knew it was Shane and decided to wait for him in the living room. But he never came. She decided to go see what was going on and found him sitting at the dinner table, a coffee slowly getting cold in front of him. He got his head up and looked at her.

-Good morning! happily said Charlie

-Mornin' replied Shane. Listen, I don't feel like talking right now, let me have my coffee first.

Charlie was not really happy with his answer and started to worry. Was he regretting it? Instead of asking questions, she decided to go upstairs and start her big cleaning day there. She went in the first room and made the bed, passed a quick broom and opened the window a little bit to let some fresh air in. She did the same with the other room. She closed the doors leading to Maggie and Beth's rooms. She did not wanted to invade their privacy and after she was done, she headed downstairs.

-May I help you? asked Carol behind her

-Of course you can! cheerfully said Charlie

Together, they cleaned the livingroom then proceeded to the kitchen. They washed the dishes, cleaned the floors and the counters and made some coffee again. After the kitchen was done, they headed to the diningroom. When Shane saw her, he quickly got up and went upstairs. Charlie was not just worried now, she was panicking.

-What's wrong with him? If I had the chance to spend the night with someone, I would happily spend the day with that person, replied Carol

-I don't know! I hope he does not regret it! I... he's been like this since he woke up! Fuck, what did I do wrong?!

-Probably nothing, said Carol. Maybe he is trying to understand his feelings for you. Maybe he's just playing hard to get, who knows?

-You're probably right, replied Charlie.

As they finished cleaning, Charlie headed to the bathroom. She wanted to take a shower. She took her clothes off, opened the water and enter the shower. The water was warm and it felt good on Charlie's skin. After a good wash, she wrapped a towel around her and thinly opened the door to see if anyone was near the stairs. When she knew that nobody was around, she ran upstairs, knocking on Maggie's door.

-Yeah?! yelled Maggie

-It's me, open up! I need to borrow clothes from you again!

Maggie opened the door and let her enter. She had just changed too and Charlie thought she was beautiful with her tight jeans and her green sweater. She opened the drawers and started looking for new clothes. It was getting colder outside and she wanted to have warmer clothes. She spotted a baseball sweater, grey with black sleeves and a pair of black cargo pants. As she was about to close the drawer, she saw a black toque and decided to wear it too. She admired herself in the mirror again and went downstairs. The rain had stopped and she decided to go outside to keep on reading her book, she first went in the kitchen and made herself a tea and then headed outside. She sat in the rockingchair and started to read.

-He's good when it comes to fucking but he's not good when it comes to loving. I hope you know that. said Andrea to her.

Charlie kept quiet. She did not wanted to know about it. All she knew was that Shane was a good kisser and she was hoping to discover the rest by herself. Charlie did not like Andrea but was trying to hide it. She did not wanted to cause more drama. When Andrea realized that Charlie would not talk to her, she headed inside. As she kept reading, she was disturbed by a weird sound. She got up head up and saw T-Dog and Daryl looking at the sky. The sound was getting louder and Charlie started to panick. She then saw the helicopter, she throw the book next to her and started running to the front of the house, waving her arms at the sky and yelling. T-Dog and Daryl did the same but the helicopter passed by them without stopping. Daryl ran inside the house and moments after, they were all outside, trying to look at where the helicopter went.

-Maybe we should stay outside for the rest of the evening, said Hershel. And we should make a fire too.

They all agreed and Glenn went inside the house to get some dry wood to make the fire. Carol came back with blankets. They all sat down and waited, talking about what they would do if the helicopter would stop by. Maggie had her head on Glenn's shoulder and she looked sad. Beth was doing the same with Jimmy. Charlie saw that Andrea tried to do the same with Shane but he pushed her away, lost in his own thought. He got up and went behind Charlie.

-May I speak to you?

Charlie followed him a bit away from the fire. She was curious to know what he had to say to her.

-Listen, I'm sorry for this morning. I was afraid that you would think that this was just for one night or that I just wanted to have sex with you. I... I don't know what I feel about you but it's more then friendship. You've never let me down and you were always by my side when I was stabbed by Rick. I'm sorry for being so rude to you. I act like an idiot sometimes and I proved it to you this morning.

Charlie immediately felt better. Carol was right, he was trying to understand his feeling for her. She went back to the fireplace and sat down next to him and touched his hand. Shane took her hand firmly and they kept quiet, trying to hear the sound of the helicopter. And then she saw it. Not the helicopter but the lights coming from the forest. As she kept looking, her fear became real. It was the RV.

-LOOK! shouted Charlie, pointing the RV.

They all looked at each other. Rick was driving way too fast. Something was not right. The RV stopped near them and Rick came outside, yelling.

-Did you see it too! We need to leave, there might be other...

-Calm down. We are not going anywhere until you tell us why you left the other night. And most importantly, why you left Andrea alone in the middle of the woods!

-Hershel, there's not time to talk! We saw the helicopter! We thought that they would have stopped here.

-They are not here, Rick. So come inside and explain to us why you decided to leave!

Charlie could not believe what was happening. She had thought that Rick and his family had left for good and now they were back here again. She followed the group back inside and headed to the kitchen to make some coffee, knowing that this would probably be a long night. She saw Patricia looking at her and made her understand, by the look on her face, that she did not wanted to talk about it.

She putted cups and the pot of coffee on the table and sat down. She kept looking at Lori who was looking at the cups.

-We decided to leave because we knew you were furious at us. And when you came and talk to us, we felt so ridiculous. We could not believed we did this to the people who cared about us. That's why we decided to leave. I could not think about staying with Shane, knowing I had tried to kill him. Knowing that he was still in love with Lori. I'm so sorry for everything...

Charlie kept listening as Rick kept on explaining what had motivated him to leave. She wanted to tell them they should have never came back. She saw T-Dog heading outside, knowing he was fed up about all of this. All he wanted was to survive and so did they. But now they had to deal with another problem. Charlie asked herself if the helicopter would find them but did not have time to think too much. T-Dog came back inside the house, screaming.

-WE HAVE TO GO! THERE'S WALKERS EVERYWHERE!

They all go up and ran to the front of the house. And they saw it. Walkers. Thousand of walkers heading towards the farm. Towards them. They were coming out of the woods, behind the barn. They we're circling them. They all started running. Charlie was following Shane. Beth and Patricia followed behind. She felt something grabbing her from behind, she turned around and saw Patricia being grabbed by two walkers. One quickly bitted her arm.

-NOOOOOO! yelled Beth and Charlie

Shane came back to them and took Charlie's hand, running to the Hyundai. When the got inside, Charlie turned around. She could see Rick, Lori, T-Dog and Andrea running to the RV. Carol was with Daryl on his motorcycle and Glenn, Maggie and Hershel went to the pick-up truck. Shane quickly started the car and drove away from the farm, following the RV. Charlie looked behind her. Beth was crying. She had lost everything. Charlie started crying too, thinking about Patricia. She putted her head on Shane's shoulder and closed her eyes.

When she opened them up, they were on the road again, far away from the house. The RV was still in front of them and the pick-up truck was following them. Charlie thought that Daryl and Carol were in front, opening the way. They kept on driving and eventually arrived in a small town. Shane stopped the Hyundai next to the RV and got outside. Charlie followed him, a hand around Beth's shoulder. They all went in front of the RV.

-Where's Jimmy?! shouted Beth, panicking.

Charlie could see in Herhsel's eyes that the poor Jimmy did not make it. Beth saw it too because she started crying and tried to escape from Charlie's arms. Charlie held her tighter and Beth fell on the floor, crying. It was tearing Charlie's heart apart. Charlie wanted to tell her that at least she was alive but did not said anything. The poor girl was only a kid and she had lost who she thought was the love of her life.

-What are we gonna do now? asked Lori, crying too.

They all remained silent. Nobody knew what to do. They where in a town nobody knew, in the middle of the night. They had no food, water and clothes. They were lost and had lost everything they had. Charlie looked at Shane, then at Rick.

-You guys were both leaders, now is the time to take a fucking decision! Put your problems on the side and think about something! said Charlie. We can't stay here!

-Well, we could always go in one of these houses, said Shane.

-He's right. Staying outside is not a good solution. I'll stay outside and make sure that no walkers followed us here. replied Rick

They all walked to the houses. Rick went into one and came back. He looked at them and pointed the house with his chin. They all went inside the house and closed the door behind them. They all sat down where they could and remained silent.

-Mom, I'm hungry. said Carl

Lori did not answer and looked at him with a sad smile. Carl got up and started looking around the house to see if he could find something to eat. The rest of the group remained silent. Shane was holding Charlie in his arms, trying to comfort her the best he could. Charlie kept looking at Lori thinking that this was all her fault. They should have never came back. Carl came back in the livingroom with two cans in his hands. As Charlie looked closer, she realized it was dog food. Carl tried to opened them when Rick came back into the house. He saw the dog food in his son's hand, took it and throw it away without saying a word.

-As soon as the sun rises, we will go. said Rick

Nobody replied. They had all lost everything once again and did not wanted to talk about it. Charlie pulled Shane's arms over her shoulders and tried to sleep but she could not. She was afraid walkers would come by even with Daryl and Rick checking outside. They all stayed up until the sun started to rise in the sky. Beth was still crying when they left the house, trying to find another place to live. They kept on driving until they arrived at a small gas station. Charlie stayed in the car while the men went inside to see if they could find anything. They managed to take some gas from abandonned cars scattered around the place and they went back to their respective cars. Shane handled Charlie a chocolate bar.

-That's the best I could find, sorry.

-It's okay. Thank you! replied Charlie

She opened the chocolate bar and broke it in half, giving the other part to Shane. Shane started the car and followed the RV. As he was driving, he grabbed her hand.

-You know, when we left the farmhouse, I wanted to take another route and escape with you but Beth was in the car with us. I am not welcomed in this group anymore and I thought that this was my chance to start all over again and I wanted to do so with you. Lori just wanted affection, she needed someone by her side so she could still feel human. Andrea wanted protection, I knew she wasn't able to protect herself and needed me to watch her back. You, you just want to be with me. You don't need me to protect you or replace someone you lost and I do want to be with you too.

Charlie smiled at Shane. She was happy that he had finally understood what she had known for a long time. But even if she was happy to hear that, she was sad from what happened at the farmhouse. She was missing Patricia. Charlie was something thinking that Patricia was the mother she never had. But she was alive and so was Shane, that's all mattered for her at the moment. They kept on driving until the sun went down and they decided to stop for the night. Shane and Charlie got out of the car and went into the RV. The rest of the group was there. Charlie sat down next to Shane and spotted a book on the table. She took it and read the title.

-He always told us that if he knew the world would go to hell, he would have brought a better book. said Andrea

Charlie putted the book back on the table, looking at Andrea. They all sat down in silence until Rick asked them what they would like to do. Nobody answered. They were still in shock and could not think rationally.

-Maybe we could drive until we find another secluded area? asked Shane. There is a chance that we could find something like Hershel's house.

-Or maybe we could search for the helicopter. said Daryl.

-I could go see if the farmhouse is safe now. replied Glenn. Maybe the walkers just passed by and kept on following the helicopter.

They all looked at each other. Charlie did not know what to do. She had lost everything once again and did not want to find another place like the farmhouse. She knew they could not stay there forever but still hoped that they would find something else. She was starving but she did not say a word.

-We should sleep for now. Maybe tomorrow will be our lucky day. said Charlie.


	6. Deep within us all

Charlie had been driving for hours. Shane was sleeping in the passenger seat and she did not wanted to wake him up. Last night, the group had decided to leave the house and search for a better shelter. They did not know where to go and just kept on driving, siphoning gas from abandoned cars scattered around the road. Sometimes, they would stop and search houses, hoping to find something to eat. Sometimes they were lucky. They all made sure that Carl and Lori would eat enough before sharing the rest of the food they had found.

Charlie looked at Shane. She could see from the look on his face that he was exhausted. He was not sleeping enough and Charlie blamed herself for that. She knew that Shane would make sure she could sleep safely even if that meant staying up all night to protect her and the rest of the group. Rick, Daryl and Glenn would do the same and it was worrying Charlie. She often thought about what would happen if the men were too tired and fell asleep outside, without anyone to protect them. She turned around and slammed the breaks, yelling.

-For fuck's sake Charlie! What's going on?! said Shane with a sleepy voice.

-Sorry to wake you up sweetheart but I was too busy looking at you and forgot to look on the road. I saw at the last minute that the RV had stopped and almost crashed into it! replied Charlie with a hint of panick in her voice.

Her heart was pounding stongly in her chest. She felt sorry for Shane, who probably had thought that they were surrounded or that she had ran over someone of the group. She unlocked her seating belt and got out of the car, leaving Shane alone as he was trying to fall asleep again. She made her way to the side of the RV and looked at Rick who was still sitting in the driver seat, looking straight in front of him.

-What's going on? I almost crashed into you! said Charlie

-Look in front of us. quietly replied Rick.

She turned her head around and saw it. There was a prison standing in the middle of the forest. She could see some walkers roaming near the prison and that the fence had been left opened, probably by the previous occupants of the place.

-What sould we do? asked Charlie as the rest of the group was coming closer.

-As much as I want to go inside, I think that we should wait. We don't know if there's people inside and the last thing I want is to be face to face with a bunch of inmates that probably found all the weapons locked up in the prison.

-And how will we know that there's people inside if we stay here? asked Glenn

-Well, prisons usually have generators in case the electricity runs out. They rely on it to keep the cells locked. If there's people inside, we might be able to see some lights.

-That's if they are stupid enough to open the light. replied T-Dog, laughing.

-I don't mind camping here for tonight but not in the Hyundai. I suggest we all go inside the RV once again. I'll be watching the woods from the top of the RV. If I get tired, I'll tell you. said Charlie.

They all agreed and started to enter the RV. Charlie climbed on the hood and made her way to the top of the RV. She did not wanted to go inside, there was too much people and too little space.

-May I have a blanket? It's getting cold outside. asked Charlie.

Someone threw her a blanket from the small opened space on top of the RV. She wrapped herself into it and sat down on the floor, looking at the prison, carefuly listening to the sounds coming from the woods. There was still no light coming from the prison and the sun was about to disappear behind the trees. She could hear people laughing and talking inside the RV. She wanted to join the conversation but she knew it would not be a good idea to talk loudly into a forest. Walkers could be nearby and she did not wanted to attract them. She changed her position and laid on her stomach, holding her chin with her hands until she felt her eyelids getting heavier. She passed her head inside the RV.

-Anyone awake? whispered Charlie

-I am, replied Daryl. Ya feelin' tired?

-Yes. Do you want to take over please?

-Okay. Get down here and I'll climb up.

Charlie squeezed herself in the small gap trying to be as silent as she could. She sat down on the floor and placed her back on the wooden door leading to the bathroom. She wanted to go sleep next to Shane but she could not yet see in the dark and decided to remain where she was. She did not wanted to wake anybody up and her legs were shaking from the lack of sleep. She quickly fell asleep. When she opened up her eyes, she could see that the rest of the group was still sleeping so she carefully headed to the door.

-Get over here, please. said a voice coming from the front of the RV.

Charlie made her way to the passenger seat, finally understanding that Rick was the owner of the voice. He looked extremely tired. Charlie could see that he had lost a lot of weight and that his clothes were about to fall into pieces. He looked terrible but she did not say a word about it.

-You look like a guy who could use a cup of coffee. said Charlie. That's what I miss the most, having a cup of coffee when I wake up in the morning.

-So do I, replied Rick. Listen, I've never got to talk to you about anything else but plans and walkers and dramas. Mind talking with me? They're all sleeping and I don't know what to do.

-Yeah, why not. replied Charlie.

-You know, I'm sorry for what happened back at the farmhouse. I truly wish I could go back and erase what I did. I should have seen that you cared about Shane but I was too blind to see. I've got to know you by what others would tell me and never got to ask you anything about your life.

-Well, you wanna something funny? The first time I saw you, at the bar, I thought the you had killed a cop and stole his clothes!

-Talking about jobs, what did you do for a living?

-I was a botanist. That's what I used to do.

-Married? Children?

-No and no. I only had a dog and that was it.

-Also, I want to thank you for what you did for Shane. He was not lucky with girls before. I mean, he had lots and lots and "girlfriends" but never someone who would take care of him like you do. He's a good guy despites all the fucking stupid things he does.

-Well, maybe it was the same for me... Minus the tons of "boyfriends". Promise me something Rick, promise me that you will never do something like this again. He was and still is your bestfriend. Just accept his mistakes.

-I'll try.

-Daddy, I need to pee. said Carl in the background.

-Well, thank you for this conversation. We'll meet up later to talk about what we will do.

Charlie got outside of the RV and streched her arms and legs. She felt sore from sleeping on the ground. She started massaging her shoulder when she felt a hand on the other shoulder. She waited for the others to wake up. She was feeling nervous. One by one, they got out of the RV until only Maggie and Glenn were missing.

-We should let them have some time alone, replied Hershel with a smile. They'll feel better after.

They all laughed and gathered around Rick who was waiting for them.

-Anything to report? asked Rick

-No, said Daryl. No light.

-Same for me, replied Charlie. Nothing.

-Okay. So I think it's safe to assume that there might be people inside the prison that are intelligent enough to not open the light. Now, I need to know what you guys think about all of this? Do you want to go inside and find out?

-That works for me. replied Shane. But someone needs to stay here with Lori and Carl. If something happens there, I want to know that they will be safe. Besides that, Lori can barely run with her belly so I think it's safer for her to stay here.

-I'll stay, replied Andrea.

-No, you are still not allowed to have guns with you. You come with us. Anyone else?

-I'll stay, said Carol. I'm not the best shooter but I can scream pretty loud.

-Okay, Carl, Lori and Carol, you stay here, and no, I don't want to hear anything young man, replied Rick as Carl was about to say something.

-T-Dog, Glenn, Daryl and Charlie, you'll secure the entrance. Go inside the gates and make as much noise as you can. You will be able to kill walkers through the fence. Hershel, Shane, Maggie and I will go in the inner court and kill the walkers in it? Is that clear?

They all replied yes as they went into their respective cars to get their weapons. Shane handled a gun to Charlie from inside the car. She looked at him and he kissed her quickly before running towards Rick. Charlie looked at T-Dog and Glenn. They were ready to go. She placed the gun in her belt and started running towards the prison. When they arrived at the gates, they turned right and started screaming. They managed to kill a lot of walkers from the other side of the fence and did the same thing on the left side until the area was cleared.

When they were done, they went back to Rick and started to kill the walkers inside the courtyard. Charlie turned around and got pushed down by a walker, she managed to kick it in the stomach and got up. She could see that the walker was wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest.

-You have to aim for the chin, yelled Maggie to her.

She did was she was told and stabbed the walkers underneath the helmet. It fell down on the ground and Charlie kicked it before joining back the others. When the courtyard was cleared, they made their way back to the RV. They started driving and arrived inside the courtyard. Glenn got off the pick-up truck and ran to the fence, closing it behind them.

They all made their way inside the prison. Shane climbed up the stairs to the small office and kicked the door opened. Charlie could see that there was a body in there and hoped that it was not a walker waiting for some fresh meat. Shane went inside and came back with the keys. He opened up a door leading to some corridor and they followed him. As they entered, they saw arms reaching out of the cells. They killed the trapped walkers before continuig and arrived in the cafeteria.

-The kitchen must be nearby. And the medical center. We should go there and see if we can find anything. Carl, I want you to lock the door behind us and open it only when we come back okay? said Rick as Shane handled him the keys.

Carl nodded his head and they ventured further in the corridor. They heard the door close behind them. They kept on walking until they arrived in the kitchen area. They killed the remaining walkers and went inside. Charlie could not believe her eyes. There was flour, rice and tons of canned food. She refrained herself from ripping a bag of potato flakes, they had more important things to do before eating.

-I think we should go back for now. The infirmery is not too far but it's enough for today. said Shane

They all took several bags of food and made there way back to the cafeteria. When they arrived, they started to unpack the food. Charlie opened up a can of vegetables soup and swallow it entirely before wipping her face. The rest of the group was doing the same thing. Charlie was happy to see smiles on their faces. It had been so long since they were this happy and the last time it happened, someone almost died.

-We should clean this place up a bit. If we are staying here, we might as well have a clean place. Charlie and T-Dog, could you drag the bodies outside? asked Rick.

They both agreed and started to take the bodies outside the prison. They left them in a pile on the other side of the fence. When they were done, they went back inside the prison. Carol had started to clean inside some cells. She had found some blankets and made the beds. They all went to sit down on a table.

-Tomorrow, we'll go inside the infirmery. There might not be a lot of things left but we could always find something helpful, said Hershel.

-That's a good idea but there's something I want to tell you Rick. While we were carrying the bodies outside the prison, I saw something weird. The walkers inside the cells had not bitmarks anywhere. They did not even had a scratch. That's weird don't you think? I mean, if they had turned, they should have bit bitten right?

Charlie saw Rick's face changed. He started looking at the table, nervously tapping his fingers. Charlie could clearly see that he was nervous but could not tell why. The rest of the group gathered around the table while Rick asked Carl to go check on his mother, who was sleeping.

-You remember when we went to the CDC, right? Charlie, that was before we met you, it's a crazy story. We might tell you about it later. So, while we were in there, I had a conversation with Jenner and he told me something really crazy. I guess I need to tell you guys. We all have the virus inside of us. We all carry it and while our heart is still beating, it's sleeping inside our body but as soon as we die, from the fever after being bitten of from a heart attack, we come back as walkers. We don't need to be bitten, we just need to die to be transformed. said Rick.

They all looked at each other. Charlie was sweating. That meant that Shane could have turned while she was sleeping and could have infected her. She could not believe it, she did not wanted to believe it. That was just too crazy. You can't have a virus like that in your body without knowing it. People might have received a vaccine or something.

-And how did we caught it? I mean, it was not inside of uf since we were born, right? said Daryl

-I don't know. Even Jenner could not tell me how all of this started. He only told me about what I told you and that's it. He was trying to work on a cure but could never understand the structure of the virus. He told me it was worst then anything he had ever seen.

-So we need to be extra cautious if one of us is sick? asked Andrea.

-Exactly. Even if it's just a small cold, we need to be careful. We'll take measures when it will happen but for now, we're all in good health so there's not need to panick. said Rick

-Good health... especially with the lack of sleep, the lack of food, the lack of nice moments. We're all starving and stressed out. That's not really good health for me. replied Maggie

-For food, I have something great to tell you. There's some camping gear in the RV and since we have electricity, we will be able to make some warm food. We'll try to find a bigger stove inside the prison and bring it back here. Charlie, that means you will be able to have your coffee! For now, we should all go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day. We need to go to the infirmery, we need to find a stove, we need to clean this place up and we need to secure the rest of the prison. Think about what you want to do and let me know about your choice.

Charlie made her way back to her cell and lay down on the bed. She turned around, facing the wall. She felt someone coming behind her and turned around. She saw Shane stading next to the bed.

-Mind if I join you? I won't die in my sleep, promise!

-You can, idiot! replied Charlie, laughing

Shane went next to her and took her in his arms. She could feel in breath on her neck. She turned around and started kissing him. She then took of his shirt and passed her hand on his chest, he pushed her away a bit and took of her shirt too. He took her inside his arms and lifted her up against the wall, still kissing her.

-We should not do that. They might hear us or worst, see us. Believe me, you turned me on a lot but there's too much people nearby.

-Yeah, if you say so. said Shane, still holding her against the wall. But believe me, the day I'll get to make love to ya, I won't let you escape. Be ready to spend few hours in bed with me!

Charlie laughed as he brought her back on the bed. He laid down on his back and Charlie placed her head on his chest.


	7. Sunshine and rain

The prison turned out to be a really nice place after it was cleaned. They had removed all the bodies trapped inside the cells and they had tried to make it nicer by cleaning the floor and keeping their cells clean. The men had found a bigger stove and had dragged it from the kitchen all the way to the cafeteria. The group was really happy to eat some warm food every day.

Charlie woke up and sat down on the bed, crossing her legs underneath her. She was still feeling tired and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up. She got up and made her bed before looking at herself in the small mirror on top of the sink. Her long curly hair was going in every direction and had several knots in it. She slipped on the loafers she kepted under the bed, putted the toque on her head and walked downstairs, joining the rest of the group. She went to the coffee machine and took a cup from the wooden plank attached to the wall that was supposed to be a shelf and poored herself a cup of coffee before going to the table. The group was in the middle of a conversation.

-Well, I miss watching movies with Jimmy, said Beth

-I miss playing my videogames, said Carl

-You know what I miss the most right now? A warm, extra-large cup of latte! said Charlie

-You're not the only one who misses lattes! replied Lori with a smile

They kept on talking until Rick told them it was time to talk about what to do with the rest of the prison. They only had cleaned a small part of the building and they needed to know what was left in the parts they did not yet discovered. They all agreed that they should start with the infirmery and other cell blocks where most of the walkers would certainly be trapped inside the cells. Rick putted a map of the prison on the table and started explaining to the rest of the group where he wanted to go and asked about the group's opinion. They all agreed that the cell blocks would be the easiest part to clean and decided to start there. Then they would go in the infirmery and take whatever was left in there. If they still had time, they would also check the laundry room.

When Rick was done talking, he told the group that he needed them to be ready in about two hours. Charlie got up and headed back to her cell to change. She took some black cargo pants and a grey tanktop with a black vest. She then headed outside to see what could be done before exploring. She spotted Carol hanging up some clothes and decided to go help her. She approached Carol who smiled at her and gave her some clothes to hang on the rope.

-I never saw with jeand before and everytime we went in a store to find some clothes, you always picked up the cargo pants and sweatpants. I'm curious to know why.

-Women's jeans are too tight. Besides that, it's not easy to find the right pair of jeans. That's why I don't like them! replied Charlie, laughing

They kept doing there things and when they were done, they went back inside and went to see Rick. The rest of the group was ready to go. They had decided that Rick, Hershel, Daryl, Carol and Glenn would go in the infirmery while Shane, Charlie, Maggie and T-Dog would go check the cell blocks. Lori wanted to go too so Rick decided to let them go with Shane's group with Carl.

Charlie took her hunting knife and her bag and followed the rest of the group. There was no electricity in the rest of the prison. They wanted to take care of the generators and did not wanted to open the lights in the rest of the prison. As they arrived in the corridor, they saw arms reaching out of the cells, trying to catch them. They killed them all and kept on going. There was a lot of cells and they decided to split up and Charlie, Shane and Maggie took the bottom floor while T-Dog, Lori and Carl went upstairs. They did the same with two other corridors until Shane told them it was time to clean the place. They started to drag all the bodies near the doors, it would be easier for them to take them out later. Then they walked back to the corridor leading to their camp when Shane stopped and Charlie bumped into him.

-Shhh. Do you hear this? asked Shane

-Probably just some rats or maybe a racoon. It's nothing. replied T-Dog.

They kept on walking silently, forming a circle. Lori was in the middle. They did not wanted her to get attacked. They turned a corridor and stopped walking. There was five or six walkers in front of them. She looked at Shane, worried. A walker turned his head and started sniffing the air, realizing their was some fresh meat nearby and made a guttural sound as the other started walking towards them. Shane grabbed Charlie and started running, followed by the rest of the group, when Charlie turned her head back, she could see that Carl and Maggie were with Lori, trying to run as fast as they could. She kept on running and bumped straight into a group of walkers. She took out her knife and started to fight them when she was pushed on the ground by a walker. She kicked it and got up. Shane was on the other side of the corridor, they were separated by a bunch of walkers. She could hear Maggie screaming somewhere in the prison. She looked at Shane, panicking. She did not know what to do. Lori, Carl and Maggie were lost somewhere, she was separated from Shane and she did not know what was going on with Rick's group.

-RUN! yelled Shane to her.

And that's what she did. She started running, waving her knife in front of her like a madwoman. She arrived at the end of the corridor and slammed through the door. She was finally outside. She started pilling up some things left outside in front of the door so the walkers could not escape from inside the prison. She ran to the front door and entered the camp area.

-Beth, Andrea! Come with me! yelled Charlie

Andrea was about to reply something but Charlie took her arm and started running outside of the prison. She pointed the watchtower and watched the door as Beth and Andrea started climbing the ladder. She then climbed too and sat down, watching the entrance. She was thinking about Shane, wondering if he was okay.

-What's going on? asked Beth, worried. Where's my father?!

-He's still inside the prison. I don't know where he his since he was with Rick. Believe me, he's gonna be okay! Rick will protect them. said Charlie

-But you did not tell us what happened. replied Andrea

-We've been attacked by a group of walkers. I don't know how they got inside because when we went inside the corridors, they were empty. I... I don't understand! said Charlie

They remained silent, watching the courtyard. Walkers were coming near the fence as the wind was blowing the smell of living people near them. They waited and waited until they heard a loud BANG coming from the side of the prison. They looked at it and saw Rick, Glenn and Hershel running. Rick was shooting some walkers coming outside of the prison. When he was all done, he sat on the ground, panting.

-OVER HERE! yelled Beth, waving her arms. She got down the ladder and started running to Hershel.

Andrea and Charlie followed her and sat down near Rick. Charlie was hoping to see Shane go out of the door but not a sound was coming from the dark corridor. She spotted a body and started panicking. As she got up, Rick grabbed her ankle and looked at her.

-It's T-Dog. said Rick

They all looked at each other and tears started to flow out of Charlie's eyes. She was so angry. They had lost another member of the group and she was not happy at all. She kept on looking at Rick for answers. She then heard footsteps coming their way and turned around to see Shane walking. She ran to him and grabbed him, holding him tight as she kissed him like it was the last kiss she would give him and started crying in his arms, happy to know that he was alive but sad about T-Dog's death. They walked back to the group and heard someone running in the corridor until Daryl arrived, looking exhausted.

-Where is she?! Where's Carol?! said Daryl, panicking.

-We don't know, replied Rick. Carol, Lori, Maggie and Carl are still missing.

Charlie turned her head and spotted Maggie going out of the door with something in her arms. Carl was next to her, looking at the ground. Charlie suddenly realized that it was the baby Maggie was holding. She walked to her as the rest of the group followed her. Maggie was covered in blood and looked terrified. Carl was still watching the ground.

- Are you okay? asked Glenn to Maggie and Carl

-I just killed my own mother with a bullet to the head. Do you think I'm fucking okay?! angrily said Carl looking straight inside Glenn's eyes.

When Rick heard what Carl said, he got up and hugged him then fell on his knees, yelling. He started to punch the ground and got up, walking back inside the prison. He took an axe left on the ground and vanished inside the corridor. Glenn was trying to comfort Maggie.

-Let's go back inside. Carl, lock all the door behind us. If your father make it out alive, we will open the door for him, Until then, nobody enters or exits the cafeteria. Understood? said Shane

Carl nodded his head and the group walked back inside the prison. When they arrived in the cafeteria, Hershel took the baby from Maggie's arms and started examinating her.

-It's a cute little girl, about six pounds. But we need to go get formula or she will die... said Hershel with a sad voice.

-I'll go. replied Daryl. Let me just hold her first.

-What's her name? asked Daryl to Carl

-I don't know, maybe Lori or Sophia or... or Carol. To remind us about them. replied Carl

-You should choose something else, something happier. said Hershel

-Judith, let's call her Judith. said Carl

-Uncle Daryl has to go, lil ass-kicker, but I'll be back soon. Promise. softly said Daryl to Judith as he gave her to Carl and walked outside, followed by Andrea.

Charlie went to see the baby again, looking at her. She looked so fragile, so innocent. Charlie thought that she had decided to come in this world at the wrong moment but still she was happy to see a baby. She always liked kids and they liked her back. She held Judith close to her and started walking back and forth, looking at what she thought was a miracle. This little lady had earned the right nickname.

The group sat down and waited for Daryl, Andrea and Rick. Charlie made some coffee and walked to the table, watching Judith and Carl from a distance. Shane came sitting next to her and she putted her head on his shoulder.

-Poor boy. That must not have been an easy choice. His mother or his sister. And he watched it all. And now his father is gone God knows where! For fuck's sake! How did these walkers came in?! We've doublechecked every fucking entrance! Locked the doors, barricaded what we could not repair! That's nonsense! said Charlie

-I don't know, sweetie. I don't know. replied Shane, holding her.

Daryl and Andrea came back hours later with formula, a bed, clothes and some diapers. Daryl explained to the group that they had found a small daycare in the woods but that's all they had. He also told them he would make a run into town tomorrow to get more things for his little ass-kicker. Charlie was happy they came back alive. Too many people had died in the past months and she did not wanted to loose any of them anymore. She wanted the group to remain like this and hoped that the prison would be safe for years.

Beth boiled some water and when the baby bottle was ready, she handed it to Daryl who started feeding Judith, looking at her in the eyes. He then putted her a diaper, put her into a tiny pink pajama and wrapped her around a blanket before delicately putting her in the bed he had found and place another blanket on top of her. He then sat down at the table next to the bed and kept looking at her.

Rick came back covered in blood and sweat and sat down far away from the group, mumbling things to himself. Charlie wanted to tell him to take his daughter in his arms or at least take a look at her but she refrained herself from doinf so. Rick was in pain and was probably filled with rage and the last thing she wanted was to have a fight with him. Hershel went to sit next to Rick, trying to comfort him.

-She's not dead! SHE CAN'T BE DEAD! I could not see her body anywhere! You fucking idiot! You were supposed to take care of her! yelled Rick to Shane. You killed her! That's what you did! You could have saved her but you let my son kill his own fucking mother and ran away without regrets! You're such an idiot! I should have killed you when I had the chance!

-You're the one who agreed to let her come with us! Don't put the blame on me! You accepted, knowing the prison could have been crawling with walkers! She should have went with you! You certainly would have done better then what we did! You know, help your wife give birth, kill her so she could not return! You would have been better then all of us! Carol is still missing too and T-Dog is dead. You're not the only one who lost someone! Besides, you're a father for the second time and you did not even think about touching your daughter fucking idiot! If you don't want her, I'll gladly call her MY daughter!

Charlie could see the rage in Shane's face as he was yelling at Rick. She wanted to calm him down but she knew it would not be a good idea. Rick always said he cared about them all but right now, all he could think about was the death of his wife. He had asked them in the past to stop whining and dig the corpses of the people they loves and now, he was blaming the group for what happened.

-And you know what?! We're sorry, it was just a little mistake. You said that to your son when Dale died because of his "mistake"! So that's what happened, a FUCKING mistake! If it was okay for Carl, it should be okay for us, no?! yelled Charlie

Rick stood up and walked all the way up to Charlie. He was taller then her but she managed to look at him in the eye, trying to erase the fear inside of them as Rick was about to slap her. Daryl stopped him before he could reach her face.

-Never touch a woman, seriously. Never do that again.

Charlie looked at Daryl as Shane got up and ran to Rick. Charlie putted herself in front of him, knowing that another fight could drive them all crazy. She took his arm and walked back to her cell, followed by Daryl and Shane. She sat down on the bed and looked at the floor, not knowing what to do. Once again, they were all mad at each other.

-Thank you, said Charlie to Daryl. I was not very wise to say things like this. We'll search for Carol tomorrow. She's strong, she certainly made it out alive but we've missed her. She'll come back for you, trust me.

But Daryl did not listened to Charlie and headed straight into the darkness of the prison, crossbow in hands, ready to fight anyone or anything that might come his way until he would find Carol. Charlie admired his determination. From all the people in the group, he was the strongest and he was not a leader but he was the best person to have in these times. Charlie went to bed, thinking about what she would do tomorrow. They had to dig a hole for T-Dog, drag the bodies outside and search for Carol if Daryl could not find her tonight. They also had to make a run into town to get more supplied for lil ass-kicker. It would be a long day and she needed some rest. Shane sat on the bed and covered his face with his hands.

-I don't even know if Rick's the father. I don't even know if I am. This is killing me right now! And what'll happen when gets older and ask for her dad? Will we both answer? Will we get along and raise her properly? She doesn't even have a mother anymore. Poor little girl!

-Well, I don't really know what to tell you but as she gets older, we will see if she looks like you or if she looks like Rick. Then maybe you guys will get along and understand who's the father. For now, she only a day old, you can'y say who she looks like. You should sleep now, tomorrow will be a looooooong day.


	8. Deja vu

Charlie was in the pharmacy, searching for baby products. Hershel had gave her a list of several items needed for Judith. Charlie was thankful for that list because she did not know what a baby needed besides diapers, clothes and baby formula. She thought to herself that it was funny that nobody had thought about getting these things before the baby was here. Especially for Lori. She had had a baby before and never asked about anything related to the baby when they were making runs into town and now, Charlie was in the pharmacy, struggling through the different sizes and brands of diapers. She spotted big boxes of diaper on a shelf and took two then walked all the way back to the truck. She went back in the pharmacy and started searching for soap and some cream for diaper rash. She also took baby bottles, formula and cleaning wipes and as she was about to head outside, she spotted some cute pacifiers and took a pack then finally stepped outside the pharmacy.

She took out the other list Hershel gave her. This one was for the rest of the group. They had decided that if someone was making a run and they wanted something, they just had to write it down so the person could get these things. Today was Charlie's turn. The piece of paper was covered by words. Daryl wrote down men's soap and next to it, someone had written: because he's tired of smelling like and old lady lost in a field of roses. Carl wanted some magazines and Maggie wrote down:Two things a girl always needs. Charlie knew what it was. Maggie had told her before she left. There was other things written and Charlie spotted Carol's handwriting. Her heart shrinked when she read it. Carol wanted some soap too because she wanted to smell like an old lady lost in a field of roses. She even drew a smiley next to it to make fun of Daryl. Charlie went back inside and took everything she could and went back to the car. She sat down on the driver's seat and checked if she had everything. When she was sure she did not forgot anything, she started the car and headed back to the prison. The sky was filled with clouds and she knew it would be raining later on tonight.

When she arrived at the prison, Glenn opened up the door for her to get inside. She could see that there was several piles of dead walkers near the prison. They would have to burn them later on. She got out of the car and walked inside, arms full of bags and packages. She dropped all of it on the table near Judith's bed and started placing everything on the small shelves they had build for Judith. Her pajamas were on the shelf, all piled up like someone had thrown them there. She folded them again and places some diapers and cream next to them. She looked at Judith. She was sleeping, almost dissapearing in all the blankets and someone had put her a cute little pink toque. Charlie sat down and kept looking at her. She was like a ray of sunshine in the prison, everybody would watch her as she was eating or they would sometimes fight to know who would take her in their arms since they all wanted to touch her.

Hershel went to sit down next to her and gave her a cup of tea. Charlie looked at him as he was looking at all the things she had brought. He lined up the baby formula. There was several types because she did not know wich one would be the best for Judith. He looked at the pacifiers and smiled at Charlie. It was not on the list but she knew Judith would be happy to have some. She also wanted to get her some toys but there was nothing for such a small baby at the pharmacy. If she ever had to go to a bigger store, she would certainly get her something.

-Thank you, we have everything and even some extras. That's nice of you. said Hershel.

-You're welcome. I hope I took the good diapers! By the way, where's Rick? asked Charlie

-He's gone again, saying he had to think a bit. He talked to me about a telephone ringing but I assume he is just troubled by his wife's death. Don't talk about it to anyone, I don't want them to fight with him or to think he's gone crazy.

Charlie nodded her head. She drank the last drops of tea remaining in the cup and placed it on the shelf next to the stove before heading upstairs. She walked to her cell and started cleaning it. For the last few days, she had made a mess in it, always in a hurry to do something like searching for Carol, who was still missing. Daryl had searched for her all day and stayed up all night, waiting for her to return but she never did. Charlie did not wanted to give up, if Carol had endured Ed for so long, she could hold her own in the prison. She was folding her clothes when she heard someone coming behind her.

-Do you have it? asked Glenn, looking away

Charlie smiled at him and went to search for something inside her pocket. She got out of box of three condoms and gave them to Glenn. Maggie had asked her to get some for her along with some tampons and had told her that Glenn would pick them up when she would returned.

-That's the best I could take. A bigger box would not fit in my pockets but next time, I will try to bring more, said Charlie while she winked at Glenn. Don't use them all today!

-I get it, thanks. said Glenn as he walked away.

Charlie finished cleaning her cell and went back downstairs. Carl was holding Judith, tickling her chin while Beth was getting the baby bottle ready. She was the one in charge of it since the beginning. She took her task with a lot of joy and she was the one who would babysit when the rest of the group had to get out of the prison. Beth was a lot happier since Judith was here and it made Charlie smile. After all she had been through, she could finally do something with a smile on her face. Daryl and Shane came in, covered in dirt and sweat. They told them the hole was done and that they would burry T-Dog. They had to do it soon since it was about to rain.

They all headed outside except for Beth and Judith. Charlie walked next to Shane. When they arrived in the field where the whole was digged, she could see that there was two holes. She started panicking, thinking that they had Found Carol too late. Shane could see it in her eyes and placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her so she could face him.

-Don't panick, okay? It's not for any of us. Rick had asked us to make another hole for Lori, even if we could not find the body. said Shane

-Where is he? asked Charlie

Shane pointed a direction with his chin. Charlie turned her head and could see Rick on the watchtower looking at them. It made Charlie furious that Rick did not even bothered to dig the hole for his wife and get down to say a last goodbye to T-Dog. As Hershel was saying a prayer, they all walked in front of the hole and threw a handful of dirt on T-Dog, saying few words before going back near Hershel. When it was done, Shane and Daryl each took a shovel and filled the whole. While they were doing that, Charlie went to the piles of bodies with Maggie and they poored some gas on top of them before setting them on fire. She turned her head back and saw Rick looking at something in a distance. When she looked, she could not see anything. She walked back in the prison and sat down at the table and waited for the food to be ready. Beth had told them she would do some mashed potatoes and corned beef.

They all sat down and ate in silence. They were all thinking about what they would do after supper. Charlie thought that her life was now resuming to: kiss Shane, think about what's next to do, eat, do daily chores and sleep. She washed her plate and made some coffee. While she was waiting for the coffee to be done, Daryl came next to her.

-It's like deja vu, y'know. Before, Sophia was the one I was worried about and now it's Carol. I hope it'll not be the same ending. Y'know, I don't want to find her body, I want to find her alive...

Charlie did not know what to reply to Daryl. She knew he was missing Carol very much, she could see it in his eyes when he was leaving to search for her. He was looking strong but she knew that deep inside, he was sad and worried. The worst part is that Charlie did not know how to cheer him up since he would never talk about it. He would talk about rescuing her but never anout how he felt for her. Charlie could see from the window that rain had started to fall outside. She decided to go in her cell and read a bit since there was nothing left to do at the moment.

She sat down and searched for a book in the suitcase underneath her bed. Everytime she could find a book in a store, she would bring it back to the prison. She saw Dale's book and smiled. He was right when he had told the group he would have a brought a better book. She had read it and thought it was an okay book. She started reading and got lost in the story when Shane jumped on her. She could not refrain herself from yelling and turned around to punch whatever was on top of her. When she saw that it was Shane, she started laughing, still hitting him. He pushed her on her back and climbed on top of her, kissing her neck. Charlie wanted to move but he was holding her arms behind her head.

-Well, I'm at you mercy now... said Charlie while kissing his neck

-That's perfect! said Shane with a smile

He got off her and took her in his arms. He got out of the cell and walked to the far end of the corridor. Charlie wanted to ask him where he was going but he looked at her and smiled. He had a surprise for her, she knew it. When they arrived at the last cell, Charlie started laughing. There was a blanket covering the cell. Charlie immediately knew what he wanted to do.

-That's so... lovely? said Charlie

-If you say so, replied Shane before pushing the blanket and going inside the prison. Charlie saw that he had cleaned it and that he even made laundry so they would both be in clean sheets. He laid her down on the bed and started kissing her angles, slowly kissing his way up her body. Charlie took him by the shoulder and brought him to her and took of his shirt and kissed his chest. She then undid his belt and took off his jeans. He was wearing the same white boxers he had wore when she first found him half-naked. She smiled again and tried to take them off when he stopped her.

-Don't rush things. Besides, I feel a little bit stupid being the only one almost naked.

She listened to him and got up, kissing him and running her hands across his back. He took off her shirt and pants and had he tried to take off her bra, she pushed him on the bed and kiss him deeply while caressing him. He made her roll over on her back and lifted her up, undoing her bra. She was about to take off his boxers when she heard yelling. They both got up quickly. Shane putted his jeans back on and Charlie putted his shirt on her and they rushed outside.

-You better have a FUCKING good reason to yell like this! yelled Shane

-IT'S CAROL! DARYL FOUND HER! yelled Carl to them.

They both ran downstairs to see her. Hershel told them she was dehydrated and that her muscles were sore from not moving for such a long time but besides that, she was okay. Daryl was still holding her in his arms. She had her head on his neck and her eyes were closed, like she was sleeping. Daryl putted her down on the bed in the cell next to him and went in the cafeteria to get a bottle of water. He lifter her head up and ordered her to drink. She drank the entire bottle slowly. Daryl putted her head back on the pillow.

-Thank you. said Carol with a small voice. Thank you so much.

They all headed back in the cafeteria, leaving Daryl alone with her. Rick was nowhere to be found again and it started to irritate Charlie a lot. Since Lori's death, he would not care about anything. He would just sit at the table and watch a corner of the prison without moving or talking. He still never touched his daughter and did not care at all about her.

-She said she saw someone running and decided to follow it since she thought it was one of us but it wasn't. She described the person's clothes and I knew it was not one of us. She told me where the person had ran off and I went there. The fence was wide open. Someone sabotaged it so the walkers could get in. The lock and chain were on the floor, broken. Who could have possibly do this?

-Maybe someone who wants the prison? Someone who was here before us and never came close to us. The prison is vast, we don't know for sure if we're alone in here. replied Charlie.

-By the way, why are you only wearing a shirt? asked Glenn, with the same smile she gave him when he came to get the condoms.

-Euh.. replied Charlie

-That's not important! said Shane. We have more important things to think about right now.

-Where's my father? asked Carl

Nobody answered. Rick was avoiding them all. He would often go walk in the corridors and would come back hours later. He would only sleep and eat and then would go back, going God knows where. They all started to think about who was responsible for this. When Maggie said that perhaps Rick had lost it and wanted to kill them all, nobody said anything. It was a possibility that they did not wanted to talk about.

They all went to bed, clueless about what had happened. Charlie went to her cell to put a pajama on but Shane wrapped her waist from behind and brought her back to the cell their were in hours before. They took each others clothes once again, hoping that nobody would disturb them this time. Charlie let herself go to his kisses. She could feel how much he wanted her. She wanted him so much and did not care anymore that someone might hear them. All she wanted was to be with Shane and that was it. They kept kissing and touching each other and Charlie let herself go as he climbed on top of her.

-Remember, you're mine for the rest of the night. said Shane, his lips kissing Charlie's shoulder.


	9. I came back for you

Charlie woke up and tried to move when she realized she was not in her cell. She slowly started to remember everything that had happened last night. Shane was not lying when he had told her she would be his for the rest of the night. She remembered thar he kept on kissing and touching her all night. Making love to her over and over again. When she turned around to face him, she looked at him sleeping. Charlie was still tired, she had only slept for a couple of hours but could not fall back asleep. She got up and putted her clothes back on, kissed Shane's lips soflty and went downstairs. She boiled some water and made herself a cup of tea before going upstairs again. The prison was silent. From the window, Charlie could see that it was not raining anymore and that it was probably early in the morning since nobody was awake. She was about to enter her cell when she heard someone moving downstairs. She came close to the ramp and looked down to see Rick walking towards the corridor. He opened up the door and left it open while walking. Charlie went to her cell, took her hunting knife and decided to follow him. He would always leave but no one could tell where he was going and she remembered what Hershel had told her about the telephone.

She entered the dark corridor, carefully closing the door behind her. It was really dark and she waited a bit for her eyes to adjust before walking. She heard Rick's footsteps on her left and headed that way. She saw him turn left again and kept on following him, looking everywhere around to make sure there was no walkers. She peaked at the corridor and saw Rick entering a room, leaving the door open once again. As she was about to enter, she heard him talk.

-Are you sure it's safe where you are? ... And who's talking in the back? I thought you were alone when you talked to me. ... Yes, I want to go with you, I'll go anywhere with you. ... Of course I will bring the kids. Carl misses you so much. ... No, Shane did not claim her as his own. ... Don't worry, he won't come with us. He won't hurt you again. ... I love you.

Charlie decided to go back to the cafeteria. She was troubled. What did he meant by "I'll bring the kids with me"? Lori was dead, she could not talk to him. Or maybe he wanted to die too so he could be reunited with her. Charlie advanced as silently as she could when she spotted someone in front of the door leading inside the cafeteria. The person turned his head and looked at her. She dragged out her hunting knife and stood still, waiting for the person to move or say something. She knew it was not a walker. A walker would have jumped on her. The person started to run towards her and pushed it on the side before running away. Charlie wanted to go search for it but she was too afraid that there might be some walkers in the corridors. She was alone, there was no light and Rick and that person could both be dangerous.

She closed the door behind her and went to sit on a table. She was still in shock. There was another person in the prison with them and that person could be dangerous. She grabbed a bottle of water and drank it entirely. She closed her eyes and when she opened them up, Hershel was standing in front of her.

-You're up early. said Hershel. I saw you leave, where'd you go?

-I followed Rick. I wanted to know what he was up too. I heard him talk, saying he would go with her, also bring the kids. I'm scared, Hershel. What does he mean by bringing the kids with him? Where does he wants to go? Nowhere's safe anymore. We can't go anywhere. Besides that, I saw someone about to enter the cafeteria. I could see it was a man but he was wearing a hoodie so I could not see his face. This is crazy Hershel!

-Don't worry. I won't let anything bad happen to Carl and Judith. They're like the grandkids I never had. They're not going anywhere. But you have to tell the others about what you saw. Skip Rick's part and just tell them about the person. We need to find out what's going on.

They both waited for the rest of the group to wake up. Charlie boiled some water for the baby bottle. When it was ready, she putted it on the table, waiting for lil'ass-kicker to wake up so she could feed her. Maggie and Glenn arrived first. Followed by Daryl, Andrea, Carol and Carl. Shane was the last one to come to the table. They each took something to drink and sat down at the tables, talking. Shane arrived behind Charlie and kissed her neck. She putted her back against his chest while he was massaging her shoulders. Herhsel looked at her and she knew it was time to tell what she had saw earlier.

-Could you guys come over here, please? There's something I want to talk to you about. said Charlie while the rest of the group came closer to her. This morning, I saw someone in front of the door leading to here. When I wanted to find out who it was, I realized it was not one of us. It was a man. I could not see his face because of his hoodie but I saw where he went. He ran straight to the end of the corridor and turned left. Maybe we could go see if he's still there?

They all looked at each other. Charlie did not know what else to say. She felt relieved that she had decided to follow Rick, thinking that something bad could have happened if this man had came in without them knowing. She turned to Hershel, wainting for him to give her answers but he remained quiet. She went to Shane and took out the map of the prison he kept in his back pocket and spreaded it on the table.

-We're here. she said, circling the cafeteria. The man went straight ahead and turned left. That leaves us the laundry room and a cellblock to search. Maybe this person is not bad, maybe he is just afraid. We don't know but we need to find out. We can't risk anything, especially with Judith.

When Charlie pronounced Judith's name, she heard her moving inside her bed. She went to her took Judith in her arms, gently pressing her on her chest. Judith started sucking her thumb and putted her head on Charlie's shoulder. Beth came and took Judith. She sat down at the table and started to feed her while Charlie went back to the group.

They agreeded to what she said. Shane took the lead from there since Charlie was not really good at it. She felt relieved he took over her. She did not wanted to throw them in something dangerous and Shane was way better then her when it came to make groups and assign tasks.

-Okay. Beth, you'll stay here with Judith and Carol. I want you to check on them. Carl, you stay here too. Shoot anyone or anything that comes out of the corridor without announcing themselves okay? Lock all the doors and stay together. Charlie, Maggie and Glenn, you'll search the laundry room. Daryl, Hershel, Andrea and I will go search the cellblocks. We can't count on Rick at the moment so he's not included for now. When you guys are done in the laundry room, you come meet us in the cellblock. Questions?

They all got up and started to prepare themselves. Charlie was not really happy to be without Shane but she needed to focus about what she had to do. She already had everything she needed so she waited for Maggie and Glenn to come back. When they were all ready, they headed outside the cafeteria and walked all the way down the corridor before splitting. Shane kissed Charlie and wished her good luck before entering the cellblock. Charlie, Maggie and Glenn walked down to the laundry room and entered, looking around them. Glenn pointed the left with his chin to Charlie and right to Maggie. They advanced slowly inside the room, looking everywhere, checking inside the washing machine but could not find anything. They decided to go meet with the others. Charlie decided to head outside before Glenn stopped her. He looked up and Charlie saw a tile had been pushed back.

They got out of the room and headed to the cellblock. When they entered, Glenn ran up to Shane and told him what they had saw in the laundry room. They all exited and went back there. Glenn pointed the tile on the floor and Shane climbed on top of a washing machine and pushed the tile. That's when something jumped from the gap and made Shane fall on the floor. They could see the man running outside the room and they helped Shane get up before following the man. When they arrived in the corridor, they saw Rick holding the man. He had handcuffed him and threw him on the ground.

-Carl told me where you went. explained Rick

Shane walked to the man and looked at the man's face. The man looked like he was thirty. He was covered in dust and was extremely thin.

-I saw him. Yes, I remember now. He was hitchicking on the road when we first arrived here. I saw him when I made a run into town. I did not stop and he threw rocks at me when I passed in front of him. How did he found us?! said Maggie

-Answer us, now! yelled Shane

-I followed the road and arrived here. I saw cars parked in front and knew there was people inside. I did not wanted to come and talk to you. I did not know if you were dangerous or not. I broke the chain and opened up the fence. I did not know walkers would come inside!

-Have you been scratched? Bitten? asked Charlie

-No and no. replied the man

-What should we do now? asked Andrea

-Let's walk back to the cafeteria. We'll decide his faith there. said Rick as he started walking.

They arrived in the cafeteria and locked up the man. Carol gave him a bottle of water and some cookies before joining the other.

-Any idea? asked Rick

-We could always bring him back where he was. said Charlie

-That's a bad idea, darlin'. replied Shane. He might come back.

-Then maybe we could go extremely far and put something on his eyes so he could not see where we're going? We can't just kill him. said Carol

-That's a good solution, replied Hershel.

They all agreed to Carol's idea. Charlie looked at Rick. He was looking upstairs, lost in his thoughts. Charlie looked too and again, saw nothing.

-Rick, she's not here. said Charlie

-SHE IS! SHE CAME BACK FOR ME! DON'T YOU SEE HER?! yelled Rick. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME LORI? WHAT DO YOU WANT?!

-STOP! yelled Charlie

Rick turned his head and looked at her straight in the eye. Charlie thought that he would try to slap her again but remembered what Daryl had told him. Daryl was looking at Rick, a hand on his crossbow while Shane had gotten up and was ready to jump on him. But Rick did not do anything to Charlie. He just walked outside the cafeteria and dissapeared into the corridor. Charlie thought that this time, he would not come back. They kept on talking about what they would do with the man. Charlie wanted to go get Rick but Hershel stopped her, telling her it was a bad idea.

Rick came back an hour later. But he was not alone. Walkers were following him. He came inside the cafeteria and locked the door while the walkers were trying to catch them through the door. Glenn and Daryl went to the door and started stabbing the walkers. When it was all done, Rick sat down on the floor and started crying. He went near Judith's bed and as he was about to touch her, Carl yelled.

-Dad! Don't touch her!

-Why can't I touch my own daughter? asked Rick, calmly.

-Because... because you've been bitten! yelled Carl who was now crying.

Rick turned around and Charlie could see where the walkers had bit him. His left shoulder was covered in blood, teethmark showing from the torned fabric of his shirt. Charlie brought her hands to her mouth, in shock. Rick came next to Carl and hugged him. Beth had taken Judith away from him. Rick started laughing.

-YOU WANTED ME TO COME WITH YOU LORI! WELL, I'M COMING! as he reached for his gun.

Charlie closed her eyes and heard a gunshot. When she opened them up again, she saw Rick fall on the floor. Carl was standing behind with his gun still pointing towards where Rick had stood seconds before. Carl let his gun slipped on the floor and started crying too. Carol went to comfort him. Charlie was about to cry. This kid was so young and yet, he had to kill both his parents. Charlie's heart was crumbling in her chest. She could not believe what had just happened. Shane ran to the cell where they had putted the man. He opened up the door and punched the man in the face.

-What else did you open!? shouted Shane

-All the doors on my way! I thought you had secured the prison!

-My bestfriend just died because of you! We wanted to bring you somewhere else but fuck that! said Shane. He took his gun and shot the man in the head.

They all gathered around Rick's body. His eyes were still opened and Charlie closed them before getting back. Carl was sitting next to his father, holding his arm and saying things to him that they could not hear. The gunshot had attracted more walkers and they were now piling up in front of the door. Shane took his shotgun and started shooting until there was nothing left but a pile of dead walkers covered in blood. He opened the door and started kicking the corpses.

-FUCK! he yelled.

-It's all my fault! said Charlie to Hershel. I should have kept my mouth shut!

-It's not your fault, Charlie. said Hershel, putting a hand on her shoulder. I had tried to talk to him. I had warned him that it was dangerous to go alone in the prison when he was like this. I also tried to tell him Lori was gone but he would not listen. He kept on telling me she was still alive. He needed to believe it. We have to burry him now.

Charlie looked at Shane who was next to Carl. He was trying to comfort him too put Carl kept pushing him away. Hershel went to Carl and took him by the hand, pulling him away from Rick's body. Daryl and Glenn went to pick up his body and went outside, heading to the hole that was still open in the field. The hole had a small amount of water in it. The sky was filled with grey clouds. They putted Rick's body inside and they all gathered around. Hershel said a prayer once again and Charlie started crying. She remembered the conversation in the RV, the risk he took when he accepted her in the group, the moment he had told her how he felt about Lori and Shane's relationship. They were all crying. They had lost a leader but most importantly, a friend. Carl was holding Carol, crying.

Charlie went in front of the hole.

-Thank you for everything.


	10. Dysfonctional family

_5 years later_

The prison had been secured entirely. There was no walkers left inside, they were all killed and burned. They had searched the prison for more living people but could not find any. Thanks to Hershel's knowledge about growing crops and Charlie's skills as a botanist, they had been able to grow some fruits and vegetables on the fields surrounding the prison. Judith now had her own family. She had claimed Charlie as her mother, even with Carl telling her all the time that she was not. Charlie was not really comfortable with it but she tried to convince herself that it would be easier for Judith to have a father and a mother. They did not know what to tell her about Rick and Lori's death.

-Mom, I'm hungry. said Judith

-She's not your mother. replied Carl

-Carl, we've talked about this. Could you keep your comments to yourself? said Charlie

Charlie went inside the prison and took a peach from a basket on one of the tables and went back inside. Carol stopped her, laughing.

-Raising a kid is hard hey?

-Raising a kid is hard. Raising a kid in the middle of the apocalypse is harder. Raising a kid AND a teenager is worst. Raising a kid and a teenager that are not yours makes Hell look nice! replied Charlie, laughing.

She went back outside to give the peach to Judith but she was not where she was minutes ago. Charlie started to worry and went to search for her. She saw Carl and Judith near the cars and went to see them. She could see that Judith was crying. Fearing the worst, Charlie started running towards her, crushing the peach in her hand.

-She's not your mother! And Shane's not your father! Your only real family is me! Okay?! Mom and Dad are dead, they are in the sky, watching you! Stop crying, I'm just telling you the truth!

-Mommy! cried Judith as she ran inside Charlie's arm.

Charlie looked at Carl who looked at her straight in the eyes and started walking away from them. It was not the first time he did that. Charlie had caught him several times. He would always tell her that they would die too and that they would go with mom and dad. She never knew what to do when he was doing this. Carl was now a teenager who wanted responsabilities and who would always confront the adults. He would be mean, sometimes giving them the finger and yelling mean things to them. He would also blame Shane for the death of his parents. Charlie went back inside the prison and sat Judith on her lap.

-Stop crying, sweetheart. said Charlie, passing her hand in Judith's hair. He just wanted to scare you. You will not die, okay?

Judith nodded her head and hugged Charlie. Shane and Hershel came inside and sat down next to them. Charlie told them to remain quiet for a moment. She could feel that Judith was about to fall asleep and did not wanted to wake her up. She waited for several minutes and headed for Judith's bed. She putted her down and placed the blanket on top of her. She kissed her forehead and went back to the table.

-It's Carl again? asked Shane

-Yes. He keeps telling her she will die. He also tells her that we're not her parents and he's the only thing she has left. He's right but Judith is too young to understand all of this. I don't know what to do Shane. It's really weird sometimes. I think she sees me as her mother only because I was the one kissing you and being with you.

-It could have been anyone. She just sees something in you that makes her think you're her mother. Look, I'm the one who's being called Grandpa and I must admit that I love it! replied Hershel

Charlie turned around and saw that Shane's face was bright red. He would always be furious when Carl was doing things like this. They would all try to explain to Judith what a walker was and what she had to do if she saw one but never figured out what to do when it came to talk about family. It was just too painful to explain and Judith would certainly not understand. It was too much for such a little girl. That's when Carl came in.

-Get your ass over here, young man. yelled Shane

-Fuck you, you're not my father. replied Carl

And that' when Shane lost it. He got up and ran to Carl who tried to escape. Shane grabbed him from behind and turned Carl so he could face him. He pushed him on the wall and lifted him up in the air. Carl was not saying a word. He was looking at Shane with a smile on his face.

-What are you gonna do? Kill me? asked Carl with a smile

-No. But you need to calm the fuck down a bit. Your sister is too young to deal with your shit! And by the way, you once thought I was your dad too so don't tell her what to do. You can't deny the fact that she looks like me and not like your father. So stop talking to her like that!

-But that bitch over there is not her mother!

Shane got his fist up in the air and punched the wall next to Carl's face. Charlie could see that Carl was now getting scared.

-You want to act like a man? Then I'll treat you like a man! Charlie's not a bitch. She's the one who takes care of your sister, my daughter. She the one who took care of you too just like we all did. If you think you're better then us, I'll gladly kick you out of here and see how you defend yourself out there with these walkers!

-I'm sorry Shane! Please don't do this! said Carl, panicking

-Good! Now get the fuck out of here!

Carl listened to was he was told and headed straight outside the prison. Shane came back and sat down next to Charlie. She kissed him and started massaging his shoulders. She could see that Shane did not meant what he had told Carl. She never liked it when they both fought together. It would remind her of how it used to be when Rick was still around and she did not like it. Charlie looked at Hershel who looked shocked. She could understand him. The group was not as big as it used to be and he did not wanted the remaining people to fight together.

She left the prison, knowing Hershel would watch over Judith and headed to the fields to see if the crops were growing the way they were supposed too. She went to the fields were corn was growing and took one. She opened it up and started examinating it. It was hard to work without her tools but she did the best she could to prevent the crops from being attacked by some parasites. The corn looked okay and she headed to the tomatoes and saw some were rotting on the ground. She thought they would have to pick them up later that day. She hated to waste food. She had been grateful to be able to grow vegetables and she did not like it when they were throwing it away. She went to the small shed they had built and too an empty crate and some gloves and headed to the tomato field to get some.

She started picking them up and when she was done, she headed back to the prison, arms filled with ripe tomatoes. They would have to canned them so they would have some when winter would arrive. She placed it on a table and wiped her forehead. Carol came and sat next to her.

-We should go into town. You know, get some clothes or even makeup! That would be nice. Besides, it's always good to get out of here sometimes.

Charlie nodded her head and wipped her hands on her shorts. She went to get her bag and her hunting knife and headed outside, followed by Carol. Maggie decided to join them and they went to the car. Charlie sat on the driver's seat. Glenn opened up the fence and they headed outside the gate. They started to talk about all and nothing until they arrived in town. Charlie blinked her eyes, in shock. The town had been raided by someone. There was dead walkers everywhere and most of the shops had their windows broken. Some doors had been ripped off and were now lying on the ground. Charlie could see some footsteps leading in the forest.

-What should we do? asked Charlie

-Let's go see who did that! replied Maggie

Charlie was not sure it was a good idea to leave the car behind and go in the forest but she followed Maggie. They walked in the forest for a couple of minutes, carefully following the footsteps. They arrived on a road and saw tiremarks on the ground.

-I think we should leave, said Carol

-No, we have to find out! replied Maggie

Charlie was now getting panicked. The others did not know where they were and she thought it was a bad idea to go further in the forest. The people who raided the town could be dangerous. Besides, she was worried about the car. People might have took it and it was a long way back to the prison. They kept walking until Maggie stopped them. She pointed straight in front of her and Charlie could see there was a barricade few meters away from them. She could not see if there was someone on top of it. Charlie took Maggie's arm and pulled her. They went back to the car and went back to the prison.

-We should tell the others, said Carol. They might know what to do.

-Or Shane would get pissed at us for going so far away from the prison without telling anyone! replied Maggie.

-I'll talk to Shane. said Charlie

They arrived at the gate and waited for Glenn to open it before heading inside the courtyard. They got out of the car and went inside the prison. Beth was playing with Judith. The others were not there.

-They're in the back, chopping wood. said Beth with a smile.

They got out of the prison once again and made their way to the forest. Shane was helping Daryl. He would place a log for him and Daryl would swing the axe to cut the logs. They stopped what they were doing and went to see them.

-What did ya got for us? asked Daryl

-Nothing. Listen, we have something very important to tell you. Did you know we had neighbours? The town was raided and we followed the footsteps to know who had done such a thing. We arrived at a barricade in the middle of the woods.

-WHAT? You went alone, in the middle of the woods, searching for people and you did not tell us! This was a fucking stupid idea! Who thought about this? shouted Shane

-I did. replied Charlie, looking at Maggie who looked at her in shock.

-Babe, that was fucking dangerous and you know it!

Before Charlie could reply something, they heard Beth yelling to them that supper was ready. Corn on the cob was on the menu that night. They all sat down and started to eat. When they were done, Beth took their plates and went to wash them.

-All of you, get over here, please. said Shane

The group gathered around him and sat down, silently waiting.

-So, our three lovely mousketeers here decided to start a manhunt in the middle of the woods. They arrived at a barricade of what looks like a town or something. I want to know what you want to do with this.

-Well, they never bothered us so we should leave them alone. I mean, it's not like they had tried to kill us or something. They might have destroyed the town we used to go to but for me, that's okay. I mean, we did the same thing, no? said Andrea

-You're right, replied Shane. We won't do anything for now but you need to keep your eyes opened.

-Wow! Awesome idea! Let them come to us and kill us! Then they'll take the prison and the fields! What a lovely end for us! said Carl with a sarcastic smile.

Shane looked at him but did not do anything. The little fight they had this morning was still in Charlie's mind and she did not wanted them to fight again. She got up and walked to the sink, helping Beth with the dishes. When she was done, she went to see Judith. She kissed her on the head and putted the blanket on top of her before reading her a story. When she was sure that Judith was asleep, Charlie headed to her cell and undressed herself before searching for pajama pants and a shirt.

-Wow! I like what I see! Shane said behind her back.

She turned around and smiled at him before putting the shirt she had found. She walked to Shane and kissed him before he lifted her up in the air and brought her to the bed. He cuddled against her and place his face on her neck. She passed her hand in Shane's hair and pulled the blanket on them.

-I'm not really mad at you babe. Just don't do it again okay? These people could have kidnapped you or even worse. I'll think about it all tomorrow. But for now, I have other things I have to think about like how should I kiss you right now. said Shane

He got on top of her and gave her a sweet kiss on her lips before kissing her neck. He started tickling her and she fell down the bed, grabbing the blankets as she was falling. Shane grabbed the blanket and threw it away. He tried to get back on top of Charlie but she started running away from him and climbed up on the second bed. She took a pillow and started punching Shane with it, laughing. Shane evaded from the blow to the head she was about to give him and took her by the waist before putting her over his shoulder. He started to play drum on her rear end. Charlie tried to escape but Shane was too strong so she decided to pulled his pants down. Shane lost balance and he threw her on the bed before pulling up his pants back up and climbed on top of her, kissing her neck.

-Did you hear that? said Charlie

-Probably the bed or something. Don't worry about it. said Shane as he took her shirt off.


	11. Bad neighbours

_Rick slowly turned his rotten head, drooling blood. He looked at Charlie before running to her and bit her on the shoulder, exactly were he had been bitten by a walker. Charlie started yelling and turned to Shane. He was laughing at her, telling her she would become one of these rotten corpses and that he would gladly kill her with his own hands. She started to feel the fever growing inside her. The infection was spreading incredibly fast. She started sweating and horrible visions appeared in her head. She could see herself as a walker. She got up and shook her head then started running towards Shane but Carl stopped her. She begged him to let her go. Carl did not listen and pointed the gun on her head._

Charlie woke up screaming. Shane got up too and reached for his gun under the bed. He turned around and saw Charlie crying. He took her inside his arms and held her tight until she calmed down. Charlie went to the sink and took a bottle of water. She took a long sip before splashing her face with the remaining water. She had had these nightmares since Rick's death and she was terrified. She had tried to talk about it but could never find the right words to explain how she felt after waking up. Shane got up and went behind her. He hugged her and kissed her hair.

-Another nightmare?

-Yes. This one looked so real. You were laughing at me because I had been bitten by Rick and Carl tried to shot me in the head.

-Y'know, I won't laugh if you get bitten but be sure that I will end your misery before you turn into a walker. Will ya do the same for me?

-Yes. Yes, I will.

Charlie turned around and kissed Shane before going to the bed again. She pulled out the suitcase from under the bed and search for something to wear. She took a pair of black shorts and a grey tank top and headed to the showers. She felt dirty and she needed to clean herself. She entered the bathroom and pushed a button on one of the poles. Water started to flow. She undressed herself and went under the hot stream of water. She washed her hair and her body then took a towel, dried herself and dressed up before heading to the cafeteria. She went upstairs and places her dirty clothes on the the upper bed before heading downstairs again. The group was having breakfast and Charlie could smell the delicious aroma of coffee being made. She poured herself a cup before going to the table.

-What's the plan for today? asked Glenn

-What about we fucking relax? It won't kill us! said Carl

-We could fucking relax and maybe end up dead by the end of the fucking day. Don't you fucking realize that it's the fucking apocalypse?! There's a lot of fucking things to do and if we don't do them, we could be fucked. See, I can cuss too! So stop acting like an idiot and please keep a decent langage when your sister is nearby. She doesn't need to hear all those bad words coming out of your filthy mouth! shouted Charlie

They all turned around and looked at her. She could feel her face turning glowing red.

-Shut up 'kay? You're the reason why my father is dead. If you would have kept your FUCKING mouth shut, he would not have went alone in the prison! You killed him!

That was too much for Charlie to handle. She got up and ran to Carl, pushing him on the floor. She fell on him and he tried to push her off him but she took both his arms and smashed them on the floor. She looked at him straight in the eyes and held his legs tight between her thighs.

-You little fucker! Don't you ever say something like this again! I did not kill your fucking father, he killed himself by believing your fucking mother was still alive. He did not even touched your sister and when he finally wanted to, it was too late! So don't tell me I killed him! And stop trying to be an adult! You're just a scared kid in a world you don't understand and you need us to survive so don't push us until we reach our limit and decided to kick you out of here!

Charlie felt someone taking her by the shoulders and lifting her up in the air. She turned around and saw Daryl looking at her. Carl had went near Judith who had woken up during their fight. Judith ran into Charlie and held her leg, sobbing. Charlie placed her hand on top of Judith's head.

-I should have left with Andrea! She had asked me but I couldn't say yes because Judith was still sleeping! Fuck!

-What did ya just say? asked Daryl, still holding Charlie's shoulders.

-I said I should have left this fucking place when I had the chance!

-Bad word! Carl said a bad word mom! said Judith

-It's okay sweetie, it's okay. replied Charlie

She left the prison with Judith still attached to her leg and went in the fields. She went near the trucks and sat down on the ground, trying to calm herself down. She felt bad for what she had done to Carl but she couldn't let him tell her that she had killed his father. She still felt bad for Rick's death and sometimes thought that if she had kept her mouth shut, he would still be with them.

-Mom! There's someone at the gate! said Judith

Charlie got up and looked. The gate was wide open. Andrea had fled without thinking about them and walkers were coming straight to them. Charlie placed Judith in the truck and ran to the gate. She closed it and took the broken chain on the ground, trying to close the gate with it. She turned around and saw a walker jumping on her. She reached for her hunting knife in her back but could not find it. She remembered she hat left it on the table when she had went to sit down with the group. She looked around, holding the walker away from her face. She then remembered the chain that was still in her hands when the walker jumped on her. She started touching the ground with her left hand, still holding that walker away with the other hand. She felt something and swung it at the walker's face. The walker fell on the ground next to her. She got up and started smashing the walker's face with the chain. When she was sure it was dead, she went back to the truck and open the door and took Judith. She ran back to the prison and closed the door behind her.

-That fucking bitch left the door open! Walkers were starting to come inside! What was she thinking! Fuck! said Charlie

-Three bad words mom! said Judith.

-I know, I'm sorry baby! replied Charlie with a smile

-How many? asked Hershel

-I don't know. One of them jumped on me and I could not see if there was others near the prison. We'll have to search for them. said Charlie, taking her knife from the table.

-Then we should go see. said Shane. Carl, you stay here and protect your sister and Beth. Lock all the doors.

Charlie headed back outside, followed by the rest of the group. Shane took the lead and she followed him. He was going to the backyard. She took out her hunting knife and slowly followed Shane while the rest of the group was spreading in different directions.

-I think I know where she went. She must have walked all night but she probably went to the place we had found yesterday. said Charlie

-You're probably right.

They kept on walking until they arrived near the fields. Charlie could see the others had gathered in front of the entrance and were now waiting for them to come back. The did not found any walkers. Charlie felt relieved.

-Now what? asked Daryl

-Well, we could always go and see if our neighbours found our dumb bitch. Maybe she's in there. said Shane

-I'll go with Maggie. said Glenn. We have things to do in town.

-As you wish. Just be careful 'kay? said Shane

They both nodded their heads and went inside the truck. Charlie went to open the gates. She closes it tightly behind them and went back inside the prison. Carl opened the door to let them in and closed it behind them. Charlie went upstairs and washed her face before sitting on the bed. She was still in shock. She knew she could have died and felt stupid for letting her weapon inside the prison.

-You okay? asked Shane

-Yeah. Just a little shocked.

Shane took her hand and kissed her before heading downstairs. The rest of the group was sitting at the table, talking. She went to make herself a cup of tea before joining the others. They were talking about what to do for the rest of the day.

-There's some laundry to do. said Carol

-I'll go with you. Just let me get my things and we'll go. said Charlie

She went upstairs and took all the clothes on the upper bed before going outside with Carol.

-Y'know, I always ask myself why don't we use the washing machines inside the prison. said Carol

-Shane says it's too far away from the cafeteria. He almost wanted us to wash ourselves outside but Hershel had convinced him that the showers were close enough. If someone was attacked or something, we could hear it. The laundry room is too far and we could not know if someone was attacked or had problems. That's the reason why. Besides, it creeps me out. Last time we went there, we found someone we had to kill so I prefer washing clothes here. replied Charlie.

-You're right. replied Carol.

-You, what's up with you and Daryl?

-I don't know. All I know is that he had done so much for Sophia and I. More then my husband ever did. He always saves me. He's always there. I owe him so much and yet, I barely know him. And I never do anything for him. He tried to save my daughter, he saved my life countless time and all I do is ask him for things over and over again.

Charlie shook her head. She did not know what to tell Carol. She had a man to take care of her, who would keep her warm at night and make sure she had everything she needed. Carol did not had that chance and Charlie did not wanted to brag about her nice relation that she had with Shane. They finiched washing the clothes and went back inside the prison.

-Something's wrong. I can feel it. said Hershel. Sun is about to go down and Maggie and Glenn are not here yet.

-He's right. They are too cautious to just sleep in the woods like that. replied Shane

-What should we do? asked Charlie

-I don't think it's a good idea to go in the middle of the woods at night. said Carol

-But we need to find'em. They might've run out of gas or somethin'. replied Daryl

They all agreed to go find Maggie and Glenn. Charlie went in the truck with Shane. Daryl went alone on his bike. Carl, Judith, Carol, Hershel and Beth stayed at the prison. Shane was driving slowly while Charlie was inspecting the woods.

-Do you think they fled to this place too? asked Charlie

-Nah, I don't think so. Maggie wouldn't let her father and sister behind.

Charlie nodded her head and kept inspecting the woods. There was no sign of a human being. After a while, they arrived in town. They started searching the different stores, trying to find Glenn and Maggie. After a while, Daryl came back, looking furious.

Charlie started panicking. Daryl looked really angry and she did not know why.

-What's wrong? she asked

-The truck's in da woods. Doors wide open, no blood... Daryl replied

-They've been kidnapped? asked Charlie, cutting him off.

-Maybe. I don't know. They would not make a run in town and then leave us behind. And they would mostly keep the car, don't ya think? said Shane

-Let's go back, there's nothing left to do here. said Charlie

They all went back to the prison. Charlie was trying to find a way to tell Hershel what was going on. He almost had lost one daughter when Beth had tried to commit suicide and now, Maggie was missing. The poor man would certainly die of sadness if something was to happen to her.

-Something troublin' ya? asked Shane

-Yeah. I don't want them to die or anything. Can't we just breathe for a moment? I mean, there's always something to do, there's always drama and tragedies. replied Charlie

Shane did not reply and took Charlie's hand. He pulled her closer to him and she laid her head on his shoulder, her arm across his chest. She closed her eyes to capture this moment.

-Babe, you need to go see Hershel. said Shane

-I know... replied Charlie

He took her chin and lifter her face up and kissed her lips. Tears started to reach Charlie's eyes and she tried her best to keep them in. Shane had enough to worry about, she did not wanted him to worry about her being sad. She went inside the prison and went straight to Hershel's cell, pushing away Beth and Carol. She did not wanted to answer their questions right now and just kept on walking. Hershel was awake when Charlie arrived in his cell. He looked at her and she started to cry. She opened her mouth.

-Glenn and Maggie dissapeared.


	12. Broken hearts

Charlie could not sleep that night. She was sitting next to Hershel's bed, watching him sleep. The sound he had made when Charlie had told him Maggie was missing was still echoing inside the prison. She could still clearly see the tears rolling down his face, the pain in his eyes, the anger in his hands as he was punching his pillow. Charlie had took him inside her arms, trying to calm him down by caressing his hair like Shane would do when she would wake up from a bad nightmare. He had fell asleep inside her arms, mumbling things to God, asking Him to protect his daughter and Glenn. Charlie now felt ridiculous about it. She had tried to calm down a grown man the way she would do with Judith. She was about to get up when she heard the sound of a door being open. She took her knife and listened carefully. She heard footsteps in the corridor and went to look who was leaving. She saw a shadow exiting the prison and decided to follow it.

She closed the door behind her and followed the path the shadow had taken. The moon was glowing outside and she could see thousands of stars in the sky. She saw the shadow going near the fields they had decided to call the cemetery since Lori, Rick and T-Dog were burried there. She hid behind Daryl's bike She could see the shadow stop in front of the wooden crosses. She remained quiet, trying to see who it was when she felt a hand on her mouth. She started to throw punches in every direction.

-Calm down. It's me, Daryl.

Charlie stopped throwing her fists in the air and turned to Daryl who still had his hand on her mouth. She pushed his hand down and looked at him. She did not see him when she had went outside and now wondered where he had been hiding. She turned around to see that the shadow was still there. She tried to walk but Daryl stopped her. He placed himself in front of Charlie and shook is head from left to right. Charlie did not know why he wanted to keep her away from the cemetery.

-It's Carl. Leave him alone, he needs it.

Charlie did not reply and turned around once again. She suddenly felt sad. She would never understand Carl's feelings. She never had such a nice relation with her own parents and she did not miss them at all. She wanted to talk to Daryl but when she turned around, he had vanished. She looked around, trying to find him but could only see walkers roaming near the fences. Charlie started walking back to the prison. She entered and went upstairs. She took off her clothes and laid down next to Shane. She curled up against him, asking herself is this was just another fucked up dream. As she was about to fall asleep, she heard the door open. She then fell asleep, knowing all of this was real.

When she woke up, she felt weird. She was still feeling tired and everything around her seemed weird. She went downstairs and started the coffee machine, hoping it would help her feel better. She patiently waited for the coffee to be done and went outside to drink it. It was still a bit cold outside, but the sun rising behind the moutains was promising a warm and peaceful day. She opened the tailgate of the truck and sat down, lost in her thoughts when she remembered what she had saw earlier. She walked to the graves, feeling the cold grass underneath her bare feet. When she arrived, she almost started to cry. There was several little items scattered around Rick and Lori's graves. There was the pacifier Judith had when she was a newborn, a screwdriver, probably belonging to Dale and other things. When she came closer, she could see a picture, she bent down and looked at it. Carl, Lori and Rick were all smiling. Charlie felt a hint of jealousy in her heart, she never had pictures like this. All she had had were bad words, broken bottles and slaps behind the head. She turned around and dropped her cup of coffee on the grass. She looked at Carl as the hot liquid was spreading on her feet.

-Need something? asked Carl

-I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here. replied Charlie, blushing.

-I saw you last night, following me.

-Yeah, I wanted to know who was going outside. You must miss them a lot.

-I do. But I have Judith now. I need to take care of her. Don't you miss your parents?

-No. I didn't have such a nice relationship with them. My family should've never had me. I mean, they were not good parents.

-That sucks. replied Carl

-Listen, there's something I want to tell you. I'm sorry for what I've did to you but you should stop being agressive with us. We all lost someone or something, we're all trying to survive. We do our best to keep this place safe and if Shane asks you something, it's not to piss you off but it's to prove you that he trusts you. And I know I'm not Judith's mother, I never asked to be. She just decided to call me Mom because I was with Shane. We're just one big fucked up family.

Carl did not reply. He just nodded his head and passed near Charlie to go see his parents. She walked back to the prison, leaving Carl to his parents. She had no right to be there and she knew it. She went back to her cell and took her clothes. She undressed herself and putted on new panties when she felt a kiss on the back of her thighs. She turned around to see Shane smiling at her, his eyes looking at her, telling her exactly what he had in mind. She did not wanted to have sex right now. All she was thinking about was to go and see if Glenn and Maggie were okay. She pushed Shane on the bed, kissed him and went downstairs, waiting for him to come and explain what he wanted to go with their neighbours. Charlie went to Hershel's bed and could see he was still sleeping. When she turned around, she saw Judith running to her, ready for her morning hug. Judith kept running and when she was about to jump in her arms, Shane appeared and lifter her up from the ground and started turning in circles while Judith was laughing. She kissed Shane on the cheek and when he put her down, she went straight to Charlie.

-Good morning mom! Good morning dad! cheerfully said Judith, hugging Charlie.

Charlie kissed Judith's head and went to boil some water. She prepared a hot chocolate for Judith and gave it to her with a banana.

-Today's special. You can go eat on your bed while reading! said Charlie

-OH! Thank you mommy! replied Judith, running to her bed.

Charlie decided to go outside again. She went to the see the vegetables. From what she could see, they were growing correctly. She took a wooden crate and started to pick up tomatoes so she could canned them later. She felt someone grabbing her from behind and started to panick a bit when she felt Shane's lips on her neck. She turned around and bitted his lips, letting him know she was not pleased to be attacked like this.

-Ouch! I just wanted to be cute! said Shane, lifting her up in the air.

He putted her back on her feet and tried to lift her shirt up. She looked at him, surprise.

-You want this here? In the middle of the fiels, in the middle of the day?!

-Yeah. That would be nice!

He lifted her up in the air and placed her on his shoulder, walking to the corn fields. Charlie tried to escape but Shane was holding her too tight. When he arrived in the middle of the field, he laid down on the ground, placing Charlie on top of him. She took opened his jeans while he was caressing her back. He rolled her on her back and undid his belt, still kissing her.

When they got out of the fields, they were both covered in dirt and laughing. Shane lifted her up in the air and kissed her before going back in the prison. Charlie knew he had to talk about what they had to do for Glenn and Maggie. She hoped they were okay. She sat down near Shane and waited for the rest of the group to come closer.

-I think our neighbours are not the welcoming type. I can't say they have kidnapped them but it's weird. We never heard about them in five years and now that we know they are there, people are starting to dissapear. I can only think about two ways to go there: gently knock on the front door and ask for our friends or take cover during the night and enter this place, take Maggie and Glenn and get the fuck out of there. said Shane

-Night will be better fo' us. said Daryl

-So, we go there at night. Charlie and Daryl, you'll come with me. Carl, you know what you have to do.

-Lock the doors and keep them safe, I know.

-So, you guys keep doin' ya things, I'll come back at night. said Daryl, leaving

-Mommy? Can you come here please?

-I'm coming sweetie. replied Charlie

-I wanna play outside with you and daddy! asked Judith

-Okay, let's ask daddy!

Shane agreed to play with them outside. Charlie always liked moments like these. They would just play with Judith without thinking about anything else. The only game they had banned was hide-and-seek. Charlie knew it was too dangerous to let her hide somewhere without an adult supervising her and Judith never complained about it. Judith grabbed a soccer ball on the ground and started kicking it. Charlie passed it to Shane and he fell down, trying to catch the ball.

-GOAL! Mommy scored a goal! yelled Judith, running in circles

-That's your second goal of the day. whispered Shane into Charlie's ear, making her blush

The sun was about to dissapear when Judith told Charlie she was hungry. They had played for several hours outside and Charlie knew Judith would sleep well that night. Her heart began to shrink inside her chest. She was now afraid about what they were about to do. She was afraid things would go wrong. She was afraid she would never see Judith again and that thought made her sad. Charlie walked to the prison with Judith on her back. She went to the stove and saw Beth had prepared some tomato sauce.

-Pasta for the young lady, coming right up. said Charlie

She served Judith and went to get some pastas too. She went to sit next to Carol.

-You know, moments like these almost make me forget that it's the fucking apocalypse outside.

-You're lucky. replied Carol

-To be honest, I'm not. You see, I now see myself with Shane and kids. Judith is not my daugther even if she calls me mom. It just sucks that I met the right guy when the world decided it's time for a fucking apocalypse. I mean, we can't even think about tomorrow. We'll never have a normal life again and it pains me. No Christmas presents, no movie nights, you know what I'm talking about.

-Yeah. I used to have them with Sophia when she was a kid and Ed would let us have some mother-daughter time. For me, the apocalypse started when I met this man.

-But now you have your sexy redneck to think about, replied Charlie, pushing Carol with her elbow.

-Oh shut up! replied Carol with a smile. She got up and went to the sink

-Wanna go for a walk? asked Shane, coming near Charlie

-Yeah, sure. answered Charlie

She went outside with Shane. He took her hand and started to walk towards the fence. Charlie held his hand tighter in her own. She thought that he might be the last time she was about to do such a thing and she wanted to treasure every single second of this moment.

-Something's wrong? asked Shane

-Don't laugh at me but since I know we're going there, I can't stop thinking that I'll die. It scares me.

-I will protect you, don't worry babe. said Shane, kissing Charlie head.

Then they heard something smashing against the fence.


	13. Too many people

-What the fuck was that? asked Charlie

Shane did not answered and pushed her away. He then grabbed his gun and pointed the forest. Then they heard it again, the sound they had heard seconds ago. Charlie tried to localize where the sound was coming from. Then they heard it again and Charlie knew it was coming from her left so she ran up there to see what was going on. There was a bunch of walkers so Charlie pointed her gun and started shooting but one of them went on his knees. Charlie pointed the gun at it and suddenly, the walker lifted his head up. Charlie looked at it and realized it was not a walker, it was a human. The woman was covered in blood but the walkers were not paying attention to her. She looked at Charlie and silently moved her lips. Charlie thought the woman had said not to shoot. She looked at Shane who was stabbing walkers through the fence. She ran to him and quietly whispered to him that there was a woman outside that needed help. Shane looked at her and Charlie could see the doubt in his eyes, she knew he was unsure about what to do. Charlie wanted to rescue this woman.

-Shane! She needs help! We have to help her or she will die!

Shane looked at her and took her hand, running to the gate. He opened it up and handed Charlie a crowbar that was lying nearby then he started running, yelling. The walkers soon heard him and walked in Shane's direction. Charlie went to the other side and started stabbing walkers until she arrived near the woman. She managed to stab a few walkers before giving her hand to the woman. She lifted her up and started to walk back to the gate. Shane was waiting for them, pushing away walkers that wanted to enter the gates. Charlie pushed the woman inside the courtyard and helped Shane before closing the gates.

The woman was still lying on the floor and Shane picked her up before running inside the prison. He placed her on the floor and walked inside the cafeteria. When Charlie entered, Carl quickly closed the door behind her. The group gathered around Shane, alarmed by the commotion they had made when they came inside.

-Who's this? asked Carol

-We don't know, she was outside, bashing the gate. Hershel, she's injured, could you help her?

Herhsel turned around to look at Charlie. She knew he was not in the mood to help a stranger but she wanted him to help that woman. Hershel got up and went to take the first aid kit. Shane followed him, his gun still pointing the woman's head. She was still lying on the ground. Charlie went to get a blanket and a pillow and gave them to Shane through the locked door. They all gathered near the door to see the newcomer.

-Who are you? asked Hershel

-My name's Michonne, replied the woman.

She was about to say something else but she passed out. Hershel started examinating her. He ripped off the bottom of her jeans and Charlie could see that she had been badly cut on the leg. Blood was flowing from the open wound. Hershel started to clean it then putted a white bandage on it before placing the pillow underneath Michonne's head. He placed the blanket on top of her and walked back to the door. Carl opened it up and locked it again. Carol went to get a bottle of water and a peach before placing it on the floor, near Michonne.

Charlie went to see Judith. She was still sleeping. Charlie stopped a minute to admire this little beauty. Her chest was slowly moving up and down and her thumb was resting against her lips. After a couple of minutes, she went back to the table. They were all looking at the door, probably curious about where Michonne came from.

-We still have to go get Maggie and Glenn! shouted Hershel

-He's right. replied Charlie

-Then let's go! angrily answered Shane

Charlie went upstairs and got her hunting knife and backpack before going back downstairs. Hershel was sitting down at the table, lost in his own thoughts. Charlie knew he was worried something might have happened to Maggie and she felt the same way. She went next to him and place her hand on his shoulder, waiting for the rest of the group to be ready. Daryl got out first and went to check his bike before leaving. She went next to Michonne and looked at her, she could not tell if she trusted her or not yet. She turned around and felt something grabbing her ankle. Fearing Michonne had turned into a walker, she turned around and kicked Michonne's hand.

-Fuck! That hurts! yelled Michonne

-Don't ever do this again! I was ready to kill you! replied Charlie

-Where you going? asked Michonne

-None of your damn business, replied Shane

-Don't go in that town, they're crazy. said Michonne before passing out once again

Charlie walked away from Michonne and went outside, waiting for Shane to meet her. She made sure she had everything she needed. She had never had this many guns on her before. Her hunting knife was on her boot, she had a small gun in her back and a another one strapped around her shoulder, all ready to be used. Daryl arrived next to her on his bike, ready to go. Shane got outside seconds later and got in the truck, Charlie ran to the gates and opened them up before closing them and entering the truck. They both stayed silent. When they arrived near the town, Shane parked the car and pointed the forest with his chin before running. Charlie and Daryl followed him and they soon arrived to the gate Charlie had found earlier. Daryl went near the gate and threw something. Seconds later, smoke was coming from the top of the barricade.

-C'mon! shouted Daryl before climbing the fence.

Charlie and Shane followed him. They both took their guns and started shooting at the guards. They started to shoot back at them and Charlie hid behind a crate. Daryl had jumped down the barricade and was now heading to a building. Charlie was that most of the guards were there, probably meaning that Maggie and Glenn were in there. She looked around and when she thought it was safe, she jumped down the barricade too and followed Daryl. Bullets were flying in every directions. Charlie entered the building, followed by Shane. Daryl was on the other side of the wall, looking at something. He lifted two fingers in the air, meaning there was two guards. Charlie got down on her knee and looked around the corner and shot one of the guard, Daryl shot the other one. Charlie started running to the left door and kicked it open. She saw Glenn lying on the floor, a dead walker near him. Charlie shot the walker in the head just to be sure it was dead and took her hunting knife, cutting the roped around Glenn's ankles and wrists. She got him up and got out of the room before going to the next one. Shane and Daryl were trying to comfort Maggie. When Glenn hear her, he escaped Charlie's arms and ran to her, kissing and holding her.

-We have to go! said Shane. There's probably tons of people waiting outside so get ready! Glenn, can you walk?

Glenn did not reply and got up on his feet, holding Maggie. They stayed behind Daryl and Charlie while Shane was behind them, covering their backs. They got out of the building from the back and quietly made their way to the barricade. Charlie was about to climb the barricade when a bullet arrived near her hand, she turned around, ready to fight back. People were coming from every direction. Daryl went left and Shane went right. Charlie stayed behind some big flower pot with Maggie and Glenn. She saw Shane looking at her, pointing the barricade. Charlie took Maggie's hand and started running to the barricade. She helped her get to the other side and did the same thing with Glenn. She got up the barricade and went near Shane, firing bullets while he was climbing to join her. They both jumped down and went to meet with Maggie and Glenn.

They all started running in the forest. When they arrived at the car, they took a minute to catch their breath. Maggie looked around, shocked.

-Where's Daryl? she asked

-Is probably trying to find his way back to the car. Let's wait for him, said Shane

-But Glenn needs to be taken care of! His face is all messed up and he has several cuts! shouted Maggie

-We'll go on foot, Charlie, you wait here. said Shane

-But what if they are searching for us?! Daryl is intelligent, he'll find his way back!

-She's right. said Maggie

They all got in the car and drove back to the prison. Charlie caught herself looking left and right, trying to see a shadow in the forest. There was nothing moving and she was now scared something had happened to Daryl. She took Shane's hand and remained quiet for the rest of the trip. When they arrived near the prison, Charlie got out and reached for the gate. When the car was inside, she closed it and continued on foot. They were all outside, waiting for them. Hershel started running to Glenn and Maggie, holding them both in his arms, sobbing.

Carol went to see Charlie, looking around her.

-Where's Daryl? asked Carol

-I don't know. replied Charlie

-He's probably on his way. replied Shane

-You abandoned him! replied Carol

**N.B.: This chapter was so hard to write! I finally managed to put it together. Actions scenes are not something I'm good at. I know it has less words then the previous chapters but at least, it's done!**


	14. Lost

Carol had been hiding in her cell since Charlie had tell her they had lost Daryl. Charlie could understand how Carol was feeling. She would probably had felt the same if Shane had been left behind. She had tried to explain several times to her that she did not know how it could had happened but Carol would push her away and go back in her bed.

Judith went near her and climbed on her laps, looking at her straight in the eyes.

-I miss uncle Daryl. said Judith, poutting.

-He'll be back soon. replied Charlie

She did not know what to tell her. Daryl had took care of her so much, it was normal she missed him. He was the one playing with her the most. She placed Judith on the chair and got up and went to see Shane. He was with Hershel and Glenn, probably discussing about what they would do for Daryl. When she came close, Shane asked everyone to gather around the table.

-Even you, Carol! said Shane

Judith got up and went in Carol's cell, shaking her. Carol got up, took Judith's hand and walked towards the group. They all sat down except for Shane, who was still standing up, looking at them.

-Before all of this, I have to say something. said Glenn, getting up. Hershel, I would like to ask you if I could marry Maggie. After all we've been through, I want to show her how much I love her and since I never know if I'll be there tomorrow, I want to make it official. Maggie, would you be my wife?

Charlie brought her hands to her mouth. This was one of the most adorable thing she had seen in a while and tears got to her eyes. She wiped them and kept looking at Glenn and Maggie.

-Of course! I love you! said Maggie, kissing and holding Glenn.

-And I agree to this! said Hershel

Glenn started running outside and came back few minutes later. He bent down on one knee and passed a ring on Maggie's finger. Charlie went to see Maggie. She took her hand and lifted it up, admiring the ring. It was a silver ring with a big diamond in the middle and two smaller one on each side. It was a gorgeous ring. Judith came to look at it too and smiled at Maggie before going next to Shane.

-I'm sorry to be the one interrupting this cute moment but you all know what's waiting for us. First of all, congratulations to both of you. Now, we need to go back and get Daryl out of this crazy place.

-I know a safe way to get in. said Michonne, still locked up.

-We will ALL go. Even my daughter. All of us. We'll show these fuckers what we're made of! Carl and Judith will stay in the car. If something was to happen to us, they could always come back here, they are both intelligent enough to take care of each other. Maggie and Glenn know who locked them up and they know the place a bit. Andrea is still there and if anyone wants to say Hi!, you can. We have guns, ammos and cars. We all know how to fight and we all know what a walkers looks like.

-These people are dangerous. replied Michonne

-And so are we. You will also come with us, I can't let you alone in here but be aware that if you do anything stupid, we will not hesitate to kill you. Get ready, we're leaving.

They all got up and went to pack there thing, getting ready for whatever was coming. Charlie followed Shane in their cell. She took her backpack, her hunting knife and the gun Shane had gave her. When they were both ready, Shane took Charlie's face in his hands and deeply kissed her.

-Even if I don't have a ring for you, I love you. he said

-I love you too.

She hugged him tight and they both went downstairs, followed by the rest of the group. Judith had took her teddy bear with her. Carl unlocked the door leading and Michonne followed them then they all got outside.

-Carl, Judith, Charlie, you come with me in the truck. Hershel, Beth, Maggie, Glenn and Carol, you go in the pick-up truck. Michonne, you'll go in the back of the pick-up truck. Keep your lights off and follow me. Charlie helped Judith getting inside the car and went to sit next to Shane. She held his hand tightly. She got out of the car and opened the gates, waiting for the cars to get outside of the courtyard. She closed the gate and got back in the car.

Minutes passed and when Charlie turned around to see what Judith was doing, she saw she had fell asleep, holding her teddy bear. They arrived near the town.

-You lock all the doors and protect Judith at all costs. You have your gun and extra ammo, you know how to drive and you have the keys for the prison. Be safe. said Shane

Charlie kissed Judith's forehead and quietly closed the door. She then followed Shane in the forest. When they arrived at the barricade, they all jumped on the other side, getting ready to fight. When Charlie got on the other side, she looked at the others. The town was empty. There was not a soul in the streets and there was no lights in any building.

-I know were they are, said Michonne. They have these sick fights with walkers.

They all followed her and arrived in a dead end. Michonne got on the other side of the barricade and they all followed her. She walked a bit before stopping in front of a fence. She kicked the lock and opened the door. Charlie could see cages on her left side. Walkers were kept inside them. She kept on walking, trying to look away. They arrive near a building and hid while Shane went to look. Charlie came next to him and could see there was tons of people forming a circle around what looked like a fighting area. She could see walkers were chained and there was people fighting with them. Shane looked at them and they all started running, shooting people as they advance. The atmosphere changed in a second. People started to scream and run everywhere. Charlie could see Daryl in the middle of the circle along another man. She ran to him and lifted him up before pointing her gun to the other man's face.

-Don't, he's my brother. said Daryl

Charlie could not say anything. Something kicked her from behind. She rolled on her back and got up. Andrea was standing in front of her. Behind her, Charlie could see Carol running with Daryl and his brother.

-You bitch! Why do you have to ruin everything?! shouted Andrea

Charlie did not replied and ran to her. She pushed her and they both fell on the groud, fighting. Charlie got on top of Andrea and punched her.

-That's for thinking Shane was yours! That's for leaving the door open when you left! That's for being a total bitch! yelled Charlie, punching Andrea's face after each sentence.

Andrea coughed and tried to get up. Charlie got up too and looked at her. Blood was flowing from Andrea's nose and her upper lip was cut. Andrea ran to Charlie but before she could touch her, Charlie kicked her in the stomach. Andrea fell right in the arms of a walker. The walker bit her neck and Andrea started screaming.

Charlie started running, trying to locate were the others were. She saw Shane behind a bench, shooting at people. Carol was with Daryl, near the barricade. She could not see the rest of the group. She went next to Shane and started shooting people too. That's when she saw the walkers coming her way. They must have been attracted by all the noise they were making. She could see the door in the barricade had been left open. She ran to close the door and then she saw them.

There was a man holding Carl and Judith, his gun on Judith's head. She started walking near them, her hands in the air.

-Stay were you are. replied the man

-Let them go! shouted Charlie

-Do you know who I am?

-I don't give a fuck! LET. THEM. GO!

-I'm the man who runs this town. It used to be a beautiful place before you guys showed up.

-LEAVE MY KIDS ALONE! shouted Charlie

-Oh! They are your kids! That's interesting! Maybe you would like to know how it feels to loose the people you love!

Charlie started running! And then she heard the gunshot. She closed her eyes and fell on her knees, crying.

-Stop cryin' sugartits. They're fine! This guy was pissin' me off anyway.

Charlie saw Daryl's brother standing behind Carl and Judith. She ran to him and hugged him.

-Thank you! Thank you so much!

The man did not replied and walked back inside the town. Charlie turned around and saw the rest of the group coming her way. They all gathered around the kids and hugged each other, crying. Charlie hugged Shane tight, kissing him deeply.

-Can we come with you? asked a voice in the back.

Charlie turned around and saw a pregnant woman in the door. More people were standing behind her.

-We have kids, elders, we'll help you. Do everything you ask. We don't want to live here anymore.

-Why not. replied Shane

Then they started walking back to the prison. Charlie was holding Judith and Shane's hands. She was thinking to herself that all of this meant another chance.

**I would like to thank all the people who took the time to read my story, all the people who took the time to write a review. I don't have inspiration for this story anymore. When I started writing this story, I had a clear idea of what to do but then, it took a completely different turn. Again, a big thank you to all of you!**


End file.
